Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-01-01
Statement by Mayor New
bert in Relation to the
Street Lighting in Augusta.

tings The city of Bangor has also
bought its own equipment and made
its own installation at a considerable
cost. By the terms of the contract
between the city and the Central
Maine Power Company the company
pays all the cost of the equipment,
installation and maintenance OF the
system in this city for term of ten
years. At the end of ten years there
is no further obligation upon the city
unless a contract be then made. The
poles belong to the company and the
city did not even care to take an op-
ton for their purchase. Until the
electric current was turned on, the
new system did not cost this city one
dollar. And as compared with the an
nual rental of the same lights in Port
land, Augusta pays So per pole less
than is paid by that city. The price
for current in this city for these new
lights is on a sliding scale based DIP
on candle power. At the present time
a 100 watt or so candle power lamp
is used which costs $55 per cluster of
four. 1t is highly probable that in
parts Of the street a 60-watt or 4S
candle power lamp may be used which
will cost sS9 per pole. This saving will
be made if possible. but should not
be made at the expense of good light
ing. From the top of Rines Hill to
Bond street, exclusive of the private
poles in front of the offices of the
Central Maine Power Company. there
are So standard cluster lights. As
suming that the 100-watt lamps are
continued, the total rental will be
s3025. The installation of the new sys-
tenn cut out 10 arc lights and two
series lights which were costing q
rental of $40. Deducting this cost,
the So cluster lights would cost $2315.
A part Of this cost will be taken care
of by the balance in the street light
appropriation for 1913, so that the ad
ditional appropriation for 1914 would
not exceed $500. More than this, it
is believed that the appropriation for
street lights will not be increased at
all in 1914. This belief is based upon
the reservation made in the fighting
contract which provides that the city
shall receive all revenue derived from
the use of the iron poles by corpora
tions, such as the Lewiston, Augusta
& Waterville Street Railway Com
pany, Telephone and Telegraph Com
panies. 1t is already arranged that
the Lewiston, Augusta & Waterville
Street Railway Company shall pay
$50 per pole for a trolley hitch on
Rines Hill and the Postal Telegraph
$40 a pole for a cable hitch in the
same location. It is expected that
the total revenue from this source in
1914 will amount to sum not less
than $4,000,
To briefly summarize, then, the equip
ment installation and maintenance of
the new lighting system has cost and
will cost the city nothing. The cost OF
street lights for 1914 will probably not
be increased over the appropriation for
1918. Or were the whole gross increase
on account of the new lights added d.
rectly to the tax rate for next year,
the increase in the tax rate would be
about one-fourth OF one mill or about
twenty-five cents on each $1,000 yalua-
ton. Such Improvements, however, do
not and never have directly affected
the tax rate, but are taken care or by
the normal increase in valuation. This
is true of all the modern improvements
for the last number or
years in this city. 1t is true OF the
eight or nine miles of improved high
ways, although the city provides for
a sinking fund for the retirement or
the highway bonds and annually pays
the coupons on the bonds 1t is true of
the increased appropriations for city
streets, sidewalks and sewers. 1t Isl
equally true of the new school build
ines and the largely increased cost OF
supporting schools during the last six
or seven years,
Any reasonable extension of our
street lighting system will always
prove valuable asset, and its cost Will
burden no one.