The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-05-02
THE ALTERNATIVE PROPOSITION.

ne Al TENTATIVE PHOPOSiIlON.
In arriving alta conclusion in the
matter of the new public utilities fran
chises it is quite worth while to con
slider what would follow in case the
city should fail to contract with
Messrs. Stone & Webster. What these
gentlemen propose to do is set forth
very clearly in the contract and ordi-
nances now before the voters of this
city. The street car line Is to be re-
constructed and greatly improved. A
better roadbed will be provided and
new and better cars added to the
equipment. The street lamps now In
use are to be replaced with lamps of
the latest design and highest efficien-
cy. The present lamps are service
able for a distance of only 225 feet.
The lamps that will be installed in
case the franchises are endorsed by
popular vote will illuminate distance
of $40 feet in every direction. In 9TH
er words, they will be considerably
more than twice as efficient as the
present lamps. Furthermore, instead
of being operated on the present So
called moonlight schedule, the SER
rangement will be based on an "all
night, every night schedule and the
lamps will burn all night every night
in the year. The city will thus re-
ceive double the number of hours of
lighting 1t is now receiving, and as
the efficiency of the new lamps will
be more than double that of the lamps
now in use, the new service as i
whole will be more than four times
better than the present service. For
this vastly better lighting service the
city will pay no more than 1t is paw
ing for the inferior service it is now
receiving. In order to render the
new and better service, in case their
proposition is accepted, Messrs Stone
& Webster will at once take over the
street car and lighting systems and ex-
pend between 100000 and $500, 900 in
their betterment. This will be that
amount of new capital added to Keo-
kuk in the form of new and needed
Improvements.
In case the city for any reason Or
! lack of reason fails or refuses to &C
cept Messrs. Stone & Webster's offer
outlined above, the only alternative
will be TO continue the present street
car and lighting service. No improve
ments will be made under the con-
tracts now in force end the invest
ment of a large sum of money in Keo-
kuk will be forestalled and prevented.
The city Will continue to pay present
prices for light and will get only the
existing service in return Reduced to
it's last analysis the problem is simply
this:
Shall the city continue the present
arrangement and get nothing in re-
turn beyond what it is now receiving,
or shall it accept the Stone & Web
ster offer and get in return:
/. much better street railway sys-
tenn and service.
2. A vastly improved street lighting
service-a service more than four
times as good as it is now receiving.
g. The Investment of between $500,
600 and 100000 new capital in Keo-
kuk
4. The good will, close Identification
with Keokuk's commercial life and the
hearty cooperation of the firm largely
/ instrumental in financing the water
power enterprise.
! All without the investment of dol
i lar on the part of the city or a cent
of additional cost To ask these
questions is to answer them. There
should be as nearly unanimous ap-
prevail of the franchises as it is pos
sible to obtain at a public election.