The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-01-01
SERVICE TO
BE IMPROVED
! Large Meeting Discusses
the Lighting Situation
Reform Promised.
THE RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED.

Reed to discuss the lighting situation.
Mayor Reed called the meeting to Or
der as a citizen. He said that he was
patron of the Standard Oil monop-
oily, but that complaints as to the
electric lighting in particular had
come to him in such large numbers
that he had decided that a meeting
might help in the matter. He was
elected chairman of the meeting and
Harold Griswold, secretary.
Thomas w. Cauldwell said that the
Civic Association had had the general
subject under discussion for several
months, not because of the recent
break down in the service OF the elec-
trio company, but because of the high
prices and poor quality of both elec-
tricity and gas. They should be given
credit, of course, for fifteen years OF
service, such as it has been not what
it should be or what the people have
paid for. The lighting committee is
sued pamphlet charging poor ser
vice on the part of both corporations
excessive prices and continued failure
to comply with contracts.
He introduced the following resolu.
ti0n
WHEREAS, the citizens of Morristowr
are dependent upon the MOrriStown
Gas Light Co. and the United Elec,
trio Co. for both public and private
lighting:
WHEREAS, we citizens of MorriStown
feel aggrieved at the poor service
and the excessive prices, charged by
said companies for such lighting
and at their continual failure tC
comply with the terms of their con.
tracts with the town and
WHEREAS by frequent breaks occur
ing to the Electric plant, large
part of this town has, on numerous
occasions during the last few
months, been plunged in total dark,
ness, greatly to the discomfort OF
the citizens and to the pecuniary
loss of iJs merchants at time OF
the year when brilliant illumina-
tion was most necessary to theil
business: now therefore be it
RESOLVED, That we do hereby pro
test against the service both public
and private furnished by said compan
les, and against the prices charged
therefor to the town and to individual
citizens:
RESOLVED, That a committee ol
seven citizens be appointed to be
known as the Citizens Lighting Com
mittee, composed as follows: The
NIayor-elect, the retiring Mayor, the
chairman when appointed of the Com.
mittee on Street Lamps of the new
Board of Aldermen, two members OF
the Business Mems Association to be
named by that association and two
members of the Civic Association tC
be named by that association such
committee to elect its own chairman
RESOLVED, That said Committee be
requested with all convenient speed
to seek some remedy for the present
unsatisfactory conditions of affairs by
securing from companies now existing
or to be found propositions to furnish
:. good service at reasonable rates and
N tn strong guarantees assuring the
K a,1< itinuation of such good service or II
n Ills be formed impracticable then to
investigate and report upon munich
pal plant and
RESOLVED that said Committee be
requested to report with all possible
dispatch to meeting of the Citizens
The result of its effort and its recon-
mendatiOnS.
S. HI. Gillespie in seconding the reSo-
luton, said that the condition of the
lighting service is disgraceful and is
due to the inadequate plants. He did
not wonder at the high cost Of gas and
electricity when he considered the
conditions of the plants. We are told
that the electric company is adding
machinery, but it is secondhand from
a Newark plant. There are two alter
natives he said to help the situation,
one municipality owned gas and cleo
tric plant, the other locally owned
private plant. He declared that mum
icipal plants are theoretically ideal,
but quoted from the engineer of the
proposed South Orange plant as hav-
ing too much politics and rather fav-
ored a private plant, for which the
charges would be regulated so as to
pay six per cent. on the investment.
1t is estimated that such a combined
plant with pipes, conduits, machinery,
ETC., can be put up for $3.50, 600 and he
thought such a fund would not be
difficult to raise. The Public Service
Corporation has had ample time to
remedy conditions, but has not done
so and is now engaged in an attempt
til throttle efforts to establish indiyid-
ual plants.
B. O. Chisolm spoke briefly of the
troubles Of those who depended on
electric light and declared that the
old machinery in the plant is not fit
to light the town.
Rev f. Landon Humphreys hoped
That the anger over conditions would
not be as titful as the electric lights
and declared that Americans should
emulate the example Of their English
cousins in making a good kick. He
quoted Mark Twain as to the Ameri-
cans being the best natured people in
the world and he said that the
Morrstown people are the best ma
tured in America, for here we stand
fnr all tho ~, nos n lone nf 1f,st, ,.,- .,s