The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-19
POST LIGHTS MAY
 SUCCEED ARCADE George A. Miller Talks of
 Their Superiority MORE ORNAMENTAL Proposed Posts Are of Doric Design and Beautiful By Day or Night. Council Will Probably
 Grant Appropriation

According to George A. Miller, a light ing expert, who is in Birmingham, there is a general disposition on the part of the merchants and the property owners on those downtown streets which have the arch festoon lights to dispense with these in favor of the more permanent and dignif1ed post lighting scheme. The latter give more light and at the same time link one block to another in a chain of ornamental posts which are placed in concrete at equal distances along the curbng-a decoration by day as well as by night.
 Tt is not an everyday occurrence" said MT. Miller, that a small percent age of the citizens propose to make the city a present, so to speak, of an up- | to-date system of public lighting, or as to that matter, any other public utility. There is now such a disposition on the part of the property owners and tho people of the downtown district to 1e- fray the cost of the installation of per manent ornamental lights such as other progressive cities have installed.
 "The post that 1t Is proposed to use l here is of Doric architecture, the distin- gushing characteristic of which is its dig nifty of proportion and its highly ornamen- | tai lines. We are informed that this post
 is the largest that has been used in any
 city In the country and is designed espe- cially for this city to suit the wide
 streets and broad sidewalks and also the
 architectural outlines of the buildings | The system that 1t Is proposed to install here may be said to be the re-
 suit of the scientific evolution of the or
 namental street lighting business. and l Is to be In all respects modern and met l .1. ~x-tt1 I.A an improvement over all others put in
 up to this time. The much vaunted light
 ing system that has been recently in- 1 stalled in Atlanta has proven such a
 success that 1t is still growing.
 "A petition was presented to the coun- l ell here at it's last Wednesday night meet l ing asking for an appropriation to de- l fray the cost of lighting and the up- keep of the ornamental lighting system | on a number of the downtown streets.
 The council, generally speaking, is dis l posed to look favorably upon the propo-
 stion. notwithstanding financial condi- | tions at this time It is considered a
 propitous moment, if the city In any
 reasonable time Is to fall in line with l the modern movement of street lighting, | to avail itself of the help and direc-
 ton of an expert in the business who has had the necessary experience in or | namenta street lighting in the large
 cities of the country. notably Atlanta
 Minneapolis, Jacksonville, etc.
 "The value of ornamental lighting on l the business streets Is an asset to prop | erty and to business which Is becoming l fully recognized, and Is based on the | simple proposition that Business follows | the light which is shown in the fact l that any two individuals starting out for 1 a given point walk down the lighted
 street in preference to the dark street. 1 for the very simple reason that such a
 street is safer. cleaner, better to look 1 at and in every respect more attrac- l tive.
 "Tt is perfectly natural, though 1t Is done without thought or comment, to follow the lights. This principle Is now being utilized for business. If the peo- ple on the streets to be lighted defray the cost of the installation of the sys- tenn it is assumed that the city would be willing to defray the cost of the cur rent and the upkeep. This is the principle involved in street lighting of this char acter, and it has met with the approval of all the cities that have looked into the matter carefully.
 "The canvass for the signatures of the property owners and the merchants on the several streets to be lighted is being prosecuted vigorously and Is meet ing with success. On some of the blocks more than 80 per cent of the property owners and tenants have signed up, and a very good showing has been made on all the streets. When practically all the signatures have been secured for this system, the same will be submitted to the finance and lighting committees, whose favorable recommendation to the city to furnish the current and upkeep of the system will be anticipated. Not only those who have signed the agree ment. but the people of Birminghan generally will be the benehciares of this system of lighting.
 Tt is to be hoped that at the next council meeting funds will be appropri- ated which will warrant the immediate installation of the system.'