Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1910-06-14

tnat tine CITY mas contract Win
these people to furnish it two thous-
and candle power light and they are
not furnishing ii. | suggest that the
committee have one of those lamps
with the &C coils in 1t tested at the
bureau of standards. Then let the
Alexandria Electric Light Company
rebate the city, as they have done
previous to this.
Mr.. Hill: What in your opinion
ought the city get back as a rebate
from the lamps they furnished and
the ones they contracted to furnish?
Mr.. Kirby: Basing my opinion on
the different cases that have come up
in the same way, should say about
twenty per cent.
Mr.. Spinks: From the practical
knowledge you have in wiring and
experience in lighting in Alexandria
City, don't you think there are lots
of unnecessary wires that we could
do without if the town were proper
ly wired, and that much of the dan
ger from fires and so on would be
eliminated?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, sir; if you still
retain the overhead system you
ought to have some uniformity in
running the wires.
Mr. Harrison: In this case of the
Colorado Springs these people claim
ed that there was a loss of Ga per
cent?
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, sir.
Mr.. Harrison: l asked this ques-
ton before, whether or not there
would be any loss.
Mr.. Kirby: Yes, suppose so.
The Chairman: There is loss on
every wire?
Mr.. Kirby: More or less, yes, sir.
Mr.. Dunn: My knowledge goes
only as far as this on the question OF
the report. Mr.. Belts came down
after the report was made and went
down to the works one night. Mr.
Uhler went down there, too, and ex-
amined the boards and the current
meters, and Mr.. Belts was satisfied
then that the proper current was be-
ing used and gave what ought to be
given, but as to his making report as
to the number of lamps, or the SUI
ficiency of giving 1000 candle power
lamps, | don't know anything about
that. He was employed to make re-
port and it was made, and that is the
end of it. AS to the circumstances
under which the rebate was stopped,
| know nothing about 1t.
The Chairman: Don't you think
the auditor could furnish that infor-
nation?
Mr.. Dunn: He could only testify
as to when. He simply certifies all
bills as put in here. The auditor
don't make out any bills. II the bill
came in here from the gas works GER
tifying that the Alexandria Electric
Company was to be paid so much for
IS lamps without any deduction, or
with a deduction, he would certify
to the payment, and If he was au-
thorized to pay full price, he would
make it out at that. If the bills are
made out by the gas company they
are made out monthly. If the bills
came in with 20 per cent of, he
would pay it and it would be 0. K.'d
by the Committee on Light.
Mr.. Spinks: They did hold back
some for time. The rebate was held
back by the auditor and he would not
have held that money back unless he
had been notified.
Mr.. Kirby: When they paid re-
bates for the lights being out, they
don't charge for lamps out until
after II o'clock. Mr.. Waller makes
them out for one or two or three
months, say seventy dollars, and |
would get a check for the full amount
of the seventy dollars. | got check
from the Alexandria Electric Com
pany and give it to them. You
would get the information from Mr..
Price. | think the rebate amounted
to seven hundred dollars.
Mr.. Spinks: They must have been
notified by somebody.
Mr.. Kirby: 1t was not done that
way. The city paid the bill as it
stood to the Alexandria Electric Com
pany, and it send its check here for
the five per cent. The last check |
brought here was for five hundred
dollars | had collected from the city
from the money owing to the Alex
andria Electric Company $500, and
the check was made out for the fye
per cent rebate for the gross receipts.
The city would issue it's check
straight.
Mr.. Dunn: | want to explain to
this committee that | was connected
with this business only to the extent
of the investigation of the poles, and
the condition of the plant at that
time. Whether the light committee
employed Mr.. Belts afterwards to re-
port on what had been done by the
Electric Light Company to cure this
condition is an unknown quantity to
me.
Mr.. Harrison | don't know any
thing about any such report.
Mr.. Dunn: / found Mr.. Belts
very pleasant gentleman, and he US
ually goes beyond his contract IN
giving information, and follows il
up. and he may have just informally
come down here to the committee
following up this report. The com
mittee may have followed up THIS
report and asked Mr.. Belts to report
on it or Mr.. Belts may have done SO
voluntarily. My connection ends
with this report, and turning 1t over
to the gas committee. His Official
connection ends with this report.
Mr.. Spinks: AS to whether upon
the recommendation of Mr.. Belts
they stopped this rebate
Mr.. Dunn (interrupting)-l don I
know.
The Chair: Somebody ought to
know.
Mr.. Kirby: think the rebate
amounted to seven hundred dollars.
| think Mr.. Fisher can tell you.
Mr.. Dunn: Mr.. Belts made ful-
Ter report than we expected him TO
make. He took a map and made
location of all the poles and the sys-
tenn of lines, and conditions in the
town. | have them in the office now.
They are not up to date now; they
have been changed since that Time
because both the telephone compan-
les and the electric light company.
and probably the telegraph compan-