The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-07-11
Mayor A. G. Meyer
Deals With Lighting
From MONDAYS Daily.

From MONDAYS Daily.
| Mayor A. G. Meyer spent July 4, in
Owatonna. Also he was there the
night before the Fourth and remain
ed there late on the night OF lnde'
pendence day. He had very fine
opportunity to see and study the new
system of street lighting just In
stalled in that city, and to say that
he is immensely pleased with 1t
would be expressing it mildly
Mr.. Meyer says that Owatonna has
the luminous arc system. But one
globe Is necessary on a standard and
the light spreads out over the sur
rounding territory in manner that
certainly is appreciated by those peo
pie who are looking for something
in the line of real brilliancy. Owa-
tonna has forty-eight arcs. They
stand about 100 feet apart. and a
most excellent light is obtainable
/ from them.
Mr. Meyer states that he stood a
distance of $50 feet from the arc
which is located in front of the city
! hall, he experienced no difficulty in
reading the characters on the dial OF
his watch The arcs throw a soft
iyet brilliant light in every direction
/ lighting up buildings as well as the
streets.
Before the authorities at DIVA
tonna adopted the luminous arc sys
tenn they made study of all the
street lighting systems and con
cluded that this one was the best
obtainable. The city paved the streets
in the business section year age
and laid sixteen foot sidewalks, but
before doing so electric wires were
laid in conduits. The city owns the
wires and standards and pays the
electric company five cents per kilo
watt for light.
Mayor A.. G. Meyer submitted to
the city council this morning the
following communication which deals
with the lighting question:
"Mankato, Minnesota, July 8, 1913
TO the Council of the City OF
Mankato Gentlemen: At the be.
ginning of my term of office / sub
mitted to you for consideration a
message containing certain recon-.
mendations. Among other things
especially called your attention to
the fact that in December of this
year our lighting contract would
expire. Space did not permit me
at that time to go into the details
of this great and important ques.
tion but l suggested at the time
that the matter should, for a mum.
Der of reasons, be taken up at an
early date.
"Other important questions have
prevented us thus far from giving
any great or exclusive attention to
this, and we have as yet done moth
ing tending towards a solution OF
the problem confronting US. But
think the time has come when the
| question should receive proper at
tention. In approaching this sub
| ject we should remember that this
|
assume to regulate it. Every indi
vidual member of this council should
give to its solution his best study
and best endear or. The people and
tax payers of the city expect every
one to do his duty and his whole
duty. In its entirety the question
is too complex and too universal in
| its aspects to be solved by the coun
! Gil alone without assistance from
outside. After all we are but the
take the people in our close conf
dence if we expect to achieve i'm
| portant and abiding results. am
convinced that we can call upon ou1
| Commercial club and other bodies
of citizens and that we will receive
substantial assistance from them
/ believe not only that we can do sc
but that we should do so at once.
Five Leading Points.
There are five leading points
that strike me in this matter, all
five of which ask leave to touch
upon.
"Our city is not up-to-date with
its present lighting system. Oul
contract is dated ten years ago, and
| during these ten years electricity has
been making wonderful, almost in
credible, progress. To contract fol
the continuance of our present sys
| tenn would mean to condemn oul
city to ridicule. We are confront
ed with the absolute necessity OF
| gradually installing superior light
| ing system. | believe this PROPOSE
ton is so broad and affects the in
terest of our citizens so universally
that it would be well to ask the
| Commercial club, who represent the
business men of our city, to recon
mend to this council what kind o.
uniform lighting system they
think preferable for the bushes.
portion of the city.
,"One. The citizens should agree
upon uniform and symmetrical
/, system of lighting to be installed
gradually. What system of cluster
lights or other lighting continuance.
ought to be adopted should be decid
/ ed by the council upon the recon
mendation of the Commercial clul
and citizens in general, always bear
i ing in mind, however, that there
/ must be harmony in our whole light
ing system.