Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1915-07-02
FIGHT OVER LIGHTS
GETS MORE LIVELY
WEEK SEES INTERESTING DE.
VELOPMENTS IN CONTROVERSY
bids DUE NEXT WEEK.

WEEK SEES INTERESTING DE.
VELOPMENTS IN CONTROVERSY
bids DUE NEXT WEEK.
With next Wednesday a. the date
set for the opening Of bids by the
city council for furnishing the city
light and power. with the city of IT,
coma, at the request of City Attorney
Bigelow. investigating the local sit-
uation preparatory to submitting .
bid, with an organized effort among
certain businessmen and taxpayers of
the city to gather protests to the city
lighting plan, and
with . formal statement from Mayor
hoffman setting forth the city's sit
uation ~ he sees it, to which Man
ager L. b. Faulkner sarcastically re-
piled, developments in teh local light
ing controversy were numerous this
week.
Commercial Agent Rhodes Of the
Tacoma municipal lighting plant was
in the city Thursday consulting with
local ofhdals. A letter from superin-
tendent B. w. Collins Of the Tacoma
plant stated that, If Olympia should
buy current from that system. It
would have to build . pole line either
to the Tacoma city limits or to the
power plant at La Grande, a. have
the cities Of Eatonville and Stella
COON.
The circulating of petitions protest
ing to the city's plan came a. q resnlt
Of q meeting Of eight or ten business
men and taxpayers in the Chamber Of
Commerce rooms Monday evening,
when 1t was asserted that the prop
erty of the city in the last few years :
hes been assessed for more than
97tO.00O worth Of public improve
ments and the sentiment was ex-
pressed that further expenditures Of
that character should be curtailed.
The txftlcular subject Of the meeting
was the lighting situation ana the
plans Of the city administration. II It
cannot obtain the kind Of Z contract
1t wants out Of the Olympia Light =
Power company. either to condemn
and take over that concern or to -
tablish : competing municipal enter
prise, to which the sentiment Of the
was antagoniatic.
Following this conference. Former
Sheriff George CASTOR. Charles Bolton
and r. p. McFadden undertook cam
vass Of the property owners In the
lighting district embracing
the central portions Of the city whose
property would be assessed for the
construction Of . municipal distrib-
uting system II one were started. The
meeting was not called by the Cham
ber Of Commerce and was not under
its auspices. 1t IL stated, the Cham
ber's oflces merely being used - Z
convenient meeting place.
Only @1.6y0 for Lights.
The mayors statement. issued Sun
day, pointed out that for NEXT year
the city's net income. - he estimated
it. would be t3s.7so. allowing s psr
cent for unpaid taxes. while the
total positive expense would be
$4,000 with every city department
|cut right down to the bone." leaving
but $3.50 available for lighting the
city. This financial situation. he
said, was due principally to the loss
Of $4,000 annually from saloon
licenses"
Referring to the present lack of
lights, the mayor said: when oar
westside bridge collapsed and the
city was called upon to expend $2,0Do
to provide temporary bridge. there
was nothing else to do but to shnt OF
the light because we had no money
provided for this extraordinary IA
pense and could not legally pay for
the bridge without saving at some
other place."
! The mayor styled the purchase OF
the local waterworks "the best In
vestment the city ever made. with
proper management, and source OF
income that will lower our taxes bye
and bye" This department. he said.
would not be an expense to the tax
payers. The city expects to spend
$4,000 of the first years revenue in
making improvements in the system.
Pointing out that "the Olympia
Light & Power company enjoys a val
liable franchise giving 1t a monopoly
ON electric lighting without paying
into the city a single cent upon ita
gross earnings as is customary and