The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1912-10-31
MORE ABOUT
STREET LIGHTS
THIS MUCH-DlSCUSSED PROPOSE.
SlTlON IN A FAIR WAY TO
BE SETTLED
THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL WILL HELP
To the End That the City May Have a
Better System of Street Lights
All is Well That Ends Well.

Prof. II. II. Hoy, chaiI / of the
council committee on Zig leat and
power, called at the Re = er office
the last Of the week to 3 cuss the
street lighting propositi + with us.
The professor was not s fighting
mood, as were some OF - r callers
last week, but believed II 2 n all fair
ness the position Of the Gil in the
matter should be under Z d by the
people. The Register hA lad much
to say on this matter in the last
month or two and not all of it has
been complimentary to the council,
but there are always two sides to a
question, and we are very glad to give
the aldermen a chance to state theirs.
In the first place, said Mr.. Hoy, he
and the other members of the council
appreciate the fact that the city is
poorly lighted and they are all desir-
Gus of lettering this condition. Mr..
Hoy had the matter in mind last year
and would have asked the council to
take some steps at that time had it
not been for the extra expense incur
red in the building of the e city
hall, which cost five thousand dollars
more than the bonds called for. The
financial condition of the city is not in
the most robust condition at the pres
ent time and the council does not feel
justified in going to the large expense
of buying posts, wiring them and then
furnishing the power. The power
house at the present time is carrying
just about all the load that it will
stand and the installation of the
cluster lights means that a new
engine and dynamo will have to be
purchased. However, Mayor Leighty
and council are perfectly willing to &C
more han half way with the business
men and stand ready to wire the
posts, which would have to be done
by conduit or underground method,
the most expensive way, and install
the additional machinery to carry the
extra load. This they believe is as
much as the city should be asked to
do, and there is justice in their posi-
ton. At Redfeld and other cities
which have the cluster light system
the posts were purchased by the bust
ness men and the city installed them
and furnishes the power. Why then,
asks the council, should the business
men here expect the city to carry the
entire expense?
Some of the business men have al
ready ordered posts and others will
probably do so a little later. Mr..
Conklin has had a cluster light in
front of the hotel for the last month
and the First National bank, r. c.
Akin, ]. H. Roberts and w. L.. Paul
have posts coming. Some citizens
also intend to place lights in front of
their residences and the city will fur
nish the power free for them, the
same as for the business men. The
great trouble with this kind of buying
is that the posts will be Of all de-
scriptions and will not be placed in
any kind of uniformity on the streets.
What the business men should do if
they have to buy the posts is to get
together, select a good post, some
thing costing around fifty dollars
apiece, have them placed in uniform
rows on the streets and make an
equitable assessment on all the bus
mess places. The season is getting a
little bit late to install the system
this fall, but the plans could be work
ed out this winter and work com
menced just as soon as spring opens.
This plan would be satisfactory, we
believe, and in the end would be
much better than going at it in a
h~ap-hazard way. Mr.. Hoy tells us
that the city has purchased a number
of tungsten cluster lights, for temper
airy use only, which will be strung
across the business streets or wires
and will furnish light enough for this
winter.
Mr.. Hoy is of the opinion that when
the lights are put in the system should
be extended to cover the church dis
trict. The plan Of the Commercial
Club was to have twenty-five lights,
eight to a block in the business dis
trict, but Mr.. Hoy thinks that this
would seemingly leave the rest of the
city in utter darkness and he would
gradually diminish the light by plac-