The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-02-18
COUNCIL REFUSES TO
GRANT NEW PEAK
Reedy River Power Co. Ask.
cd for New Minimum.
COUNCIL CLAIMS
HASN'T MADE 1T

A&" Minimum ON Basis OF Power
Consumed in Months Of November
and Ecrcmhcr. Current Turned on
by Git! Officials.
last Tuesday niGAt al tie regular
monthly meeting Of city council Mr..
n. b. Dial president Of the Rccdy Riv.
er Power company, appeared and ask
cd that the city begin payment for
fifty additional horsepower OF cur
rent now being furnished by that COM
pany under the contract signed sew
eral years ago. This, if granted.
would have amounted to an additional
expenditure per year FOR power Of
$1,000. The council refused the re-
quest OF Mr.. Dial on tho ground that
the new peak which the company
claims to have been established has
not yet been made.
MT. Dial was seen yesterday by the
representative Of The Advertiser and
asked to give statement as to the,
claim that he has filed He produced
a considerable array Of figures show
the city has been on u gradual in
crease since December 1910, when
the present charges went into effect,
and that during the months of Novem-
ber and December of 1913 so much
power was used by the city that un-
der the contract the company was le-
gally entitled to ask for the addition
al payment. However, he stated the
company was deprived of proof Of it's
claim because the lights in the city
were pulled off on several occasions
when it appeared that the indicator al
the power house was about to reach
new level. This, he said was not
just nor allowable under tho contract
signed between the city and the pow.
cr company. The city authorities adj.
nit having turned off the street lights
but claim that they had right to
do so when they thought ii advisable.
different reasons being put forth to
support the claim. On several occa-
sions, it was stated, the street lights
were pulled off because the moon fur
nished enough illumination.
The contract OF the Reedy River
Power company with the city is based
on what is called the 'peak load.
This peak load has to De reached
three nights in succession before it Is
established and the difference between
the peak loafis must be fifty horse
power. Thus, in 1910 the city began
paying for 1873 horsepower per year
at $50 per horse power. Since that
time the load has varied all the way
from 1S3 horsepower to 240 horsepow-
err, but never has it gained as much as
fifty horsepower or reached 233 horse
power three nights in succession.
which is necessary before the new
peak is established. Mr.. Dial claims
that the 233 horsepower mark would
have been passed three nights in sue
cession on several occasions had tho
city officials allowed tho current to
stay on but that they cut it off. To
support his claim, he has chart
showing that at frequent intervals
the streets were dark and that at such
times the meter at the power house in
dicated that had the current stayed on
the peak load would havo been reach
ed. He claims that the city could fol-
low these tactics indefinitely and de-
prive his company Of large revenue
rightfullya aduc them, for in this man.
ncr the city could use an unlimited
amount Of power for two nights in sue
cession and then cut down the cur
rent the third night
To support his contention that the
consumption Of water and lights in
the city has been on a steady increase
since 1910 and that the large amonnt
Of current used in the fall Of 1913 was
not from sDasmOdic causes, he quoted
the figures for the month of December
for the past four years, showing that
! In 1910 the city had sold $I,093 Of
currcnt, in 1911 $l,lG7, in 1912 $1,102
ana in 1913 81 .2SS. In 1910 water rents
I,2mOuntcd 70 S27S and in 1913 $3Si.
making totpl for w.;cr and fights in
$3.50 $l37t end in 1913 $1,G72, an in
crease IN rcccints OF 1901 for that
month arN sol more than the pro