The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-04-11

duCe VI TIC ElSHt. ~ COStS IuG ClI.
| $4,000 per year per post. They were
installed by the Consumers Power
Company. The whole cost is pait
| by the city. l do not believe tina
/ the people would be willing to dis
card the curb lights where they art
| installed, but there is no disposition
to extend them any farther. WI
| have five posts per block on eacl
side of Central avenue and that par
of the paved district where lights
were first installed. On the. balance
of the paved district where lights
were put in last .,ear. we have three
posts to the block, one on each cor
ner and the two posts in the middle
of each block staggered, so that il
desired, another POST can be added
on opposite sides and they would then
be in regular order Where these
curb lights are installed, the streets
are lighted in very fine shape, in
fact, the only objection to them is
the cost. | believe that if the city
of Mankato wishes to install this
sort of system, and were in posi-
ton to pay for and install the posts
themselves, only paying the Con
sumers Power company for the cur
rent, they could get the lighting sys
TEN at very much less price. Oh
course the price which we are pay
ing, not only pays for the light, but
of necessity enables the Consumers
Power company to put certain
amount into striking fund to wipe
out the cost of the posts at the END
of ten years. at which time the con
tract on these posts terminates. II
there is any further information
which l can give you, shall be GLAD
to do so. (Signed) Alison Blodgett
mayor.
Letter From Minneapolis.
"The mayor of Minneapolis writes
as follows:
"'Mr. J. r. Brandrup, Mankato
Mimi. My Dear Sir: l take plea
sure in answering your inquiry OF
March 4 as to the success of our or
namental street lighting method
commonly known as the white way.
This system of lighting is very salts
factory to our citizens, so much sc
that additions are being made every
year. both in the downtown and sub
urban business districts. Our posts
carry five lights EACH The cost pei
month for each post is. $45 and the
total light consumed is $500 hours
per annum. The cost of installation
per post was Sis complete for the
turning On of the lights. The posts
were in practically all cases installed
by the merchants and property own
ers who also paid the cost of light
ing for one year as an experiment
At the end of the year the city tool
over the burden of cost and the posts
were then turned over to the city
Our citizens would not be willing t.
go back to the old system of light
ing. The ordinary block has six clus
tiers. although there arc. some blocks
which carry eight because of thei
greater length. The lighting is NOR,
ornamental and far better under Thu
plan than under our old method
(Signed) w. g. Nye. mayor
"The mayor of Fargo writes as fol
lows:
81. Il. Brandrup. Mankato. Mimi.
Dear Sir: Replying to your in1uir.
of March "a. would say that we hav'
our business streets. Between tina
system and the old arc light there i
no comparison at all. the white wa
is infinitely superior and completed
changes the aspect of the whole city
We use five cluster post, five light
burn until midnight and one only 70
| the balance of the night on eac
| post. The plan Of installing the sys
| TEN is the same as that of paving,
! majority of the property owners pet
! ton. the city then iLstalls and asse.
es the cost to the abutting propert.
| payable in term Of years, in annua
! installments. The city furnishes tn
/ light after they are installed. (SigI
ed) William D. Sweet, mayor
Report Is Favorable.
"The citizens of MankatO are prt
gressive and realize that in order t
keep up with the procession, and
create a favorable impression upO
strangers who may come here, an
also to advertise our city to the bes
possible advantage we must not a
low ourselves to get into rut an
stay there. A city can have no be
ter advertising and create no bette
impression upon strangers, or max
it a more pleasant place in whic
to live than to have well lighte
streets. and white way seems I
be the most attractive, serviceabl
and satisfactory.
ITO make change from the pre-
ent system to white way, usin
eight standards to the block and fly
lights to each standard, would CO.
between SIS and $50 per post. B
having eight standards in bloc
the installation would cost approx
mately 5000 a block By getting
rate of say about $50 per year DC
post, the light would cost $240
year for each block.
"To install such system woul
require quite an outlay of money an
we believe the most feasible wa
would be to have the company thu
would furnish the lights install TIL
posts and the city pay for the us
of them. We also believe that til
city should pay for the lighting.
THE committee further believes
to be for the best interest OF the cit
to have a white way installed an
we recommend that standards /
placed on Front street from Byro
street to Vine street: on Main stree
from the railroad track to, Secon
street; on Walnut street from FroI
street to Second street; on Hickor
street from the Milwaukee freigl
depot TO Second street; on JacksO
4 street from the railroad track to Sc
ond street. We also recommend til;
-. L.