Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-13
QUESTION ADVISABlLITY OF
OVERCOMING
DECLARE EXECUTIVE HAS NOT
INVESTIGATED
Much Criticism Is InduIged In by
Property Owners, Who Hint
at Possible Recall for
Farley
BY L. GEO. THOMPSON

| SpeCal 10 Inc t1eIdlu
PASADENA. Nov. 12.-Mayor Farley
started today to carry out the program
that he has framed up for the voting of
bonds for lighting purposes and call
was issued at this mornings council
meeting for a special session tomorrow at
which time the question of calling vote
for bond issue will come up.
| When Councilman C. j. Crandall moved
that it be specified in the call that fire
bonds and storm drain bonds be dis
cussed at tomorrow's meeting there was
no second and a broad smile played upon
the mayors face, but when the call was
read it was found that "other business"
was provided for and in answer to
Councilman Crandall's question City At
torney Wood replied that fire or storm
drain bonds could come under that head
If 1t was so desired. Then the smile
played over the face of the councilman
and the mayor looked glum.
| Municipal lighting seems to have be-
come a mayoralty fad. to the exclusion
of other things that in the minds of many
citizens are more important than light
| ing, especially for commercial service.
Now that the west north and central
parts of Pasadena are fairly well pro-
vided for with fire apparatus the east
side seems doomed to further delay and
will have to worry along with only a
| CnemlCal engine TO protect II.
$4,000 Would Be Sufficient
1t may seem trife significant to some
that all of the councilmen except two
reside on or west of Marengo avenue
and the two who live east of that line
are not far from one or the other of the
present fire stations. The mayor pro-
poses to have the city vote 100000 for
municipal lighting purposes and has en-
gineered the deal up to the point of hav-
ing the council call for an election, and
yet 1t is almost a foregone conclusion
that the people will turn down the great
er part of the proposition
| 1t Is conceded that more money is
needed to properly complete the lighting
plant for commercial purposes and for
the extension of the street lighting, but
according to superintendent c. c. Glass
$50.000 would be amply sufficient for the
purpose. Eventually the plant will cost
as much as either Professor Corey or Ex-
pert Scattergood estimate said Mr..
Glass in an interview, but the amount
over what we need for the present could
easily be paid from the revenue of the
| plant without burdening the city with
bonded indebtedness for the purpose"
| In Professor Corey's report is evidence
of an attempt to conceal one of the es-
sential features which doubtless the
| mayor WOulQ De WllllHB TO allow TO re-
main unnoticed.
Mr. Corey estimates that the street
lighting will take 100000 kilowatt hours
per year which can be furnished with
$50 kilowatt machine. There Is now in
stalled 200 kilowatt machine and the
street lighting for last month equired
1877 kilowatt capacity. On the basis of
the figures for street lighting the COM
mercial lighting, which would require
| n IwII~ 4
be done with 300 kilowatt machine and
have a fair margin besides.
Are Installing Machines
To supply $4,000 kilowatt hours it
would require a 300 klowatt machine If
the energy was all generated in a
space of eight hours and the machine
would carry an overload Of fifty per cent
for some time which would make 450
kllowatts. This would be sufficient to
take care of what is termed the peak
load when the greatest amount of ener-
gy was being used at one time, and such
machine Is now being installed. Yet
Expert Scattergood recommends an ad-
ditlonal machine of 750 kilowatts, and
Professor Corey practically confirms the
report of Scattergood. Scattergood also
says that only twenty-five per cent of
the efficiency of the plant would be re-
quired. In the meantime the plant would
| have to carry the fixed charges such as
interest and redemption of the bonds on
the unnecessary investment and thereby
make the cost of the energy actually pro-
duced much higher than IL the plant was
increased only as the demand required.
| If the big machine was installed as a
single unit and it broke down, which
Is entirely within the bounds of probable
ity, the city would be left in darkness un-
til 1t could be repaired, while II the plant
was composed of several units, those in
good order could carry the load of any
one that was put out of commission.
! When the Herald representative
asked Mayor Farley what data he had
| that would indicate what amount of ener-
gy the city could sell to private parties,
he admitted that he had none, but he
said several men have told me that they
would use the municipal electricity"
Yet the mayor cannot tell at what rate
the city can sell power, as that cannot be
determined until 1t Is known how much
they can SELL and more than that he
does not know thing as to what the
Edison company can or will do in compe
tition with the city's plant.
May Meet Hot Competition
''I am going to look after this business
lust as l would If it were my own" said
Mayor Farley, but when the newspaper
man asked him II ne would think or en-
gaglng in business until he knew what
the market demand was and what he
could sell for and if he could compete
with the other man in the same business
he pleaded a pressure of business too
great to allow of further questioning by
the reporter The reporter had been con-
ceded ten minutes of busy morning
but under fire of persistent and perth
nent questions he was dismissed in five
Continued on Page Two)