The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-07-27
HAS CHEAP JUICE
Edison Company Offers Electric
Current to City
At a Price Below Municipal Cost
of Production.

In response TO request from Frank
NJ. Newland, city commissioner of wa
ter and lighting, the Topeka Edison
company has submitted to him a pro-
position for the Edison company to
sell electric current TO the city.
when Mr.. Newland requested US
to make proposition he also request
ed that he be given time to take the
matter up with the other commission
ers without any publicity and for this
reason / prefer that you get the terms
of our proposition from Mr.. New
land" said Albert Patren, speaking for
the Edison company. Il will say, how
ever, that the Edison company is
ready to enter into a contract with the
city to sell electric current to the city
for any term of years which the city
may desire and in quantities as small
or as large as the city may wish and
at a price which is cheaper than what
it is now costing the city to produce
current with its own plant.
When Mr.. Newland was asked con-
corning the prices proposed by the
Edison company, he stated that a slid
ing scale was offered. He had turned
over the written proposition from Mr..
Patten to w. H. WATSON, city COM
missioner of finance, but remembered
that the rate for the first 5000 kilo-
watts was cents per kilowatt, l II
cents per kilowatt was what he
thought the price was for the next
80, 900 and for quantities above this a
rate lower than the figure gwen in
the annual report of the city lighting
department as the cost of producing
current.
Asks $4,000 for New White Way.
Mr. Newland has made a budget re-
quest of $4,000 for additional equip
ment in the lighting plant. This in
crease, he argues, is made necessary to
take care of the lighting of the new
white way around the state house,
Ii.rI,t
midnight on the rest of the white way.
After midnight all except the top
lights on the Kansas avenue white
way are turned off, but the big unit at
the city plant must run to carry this
small load. 1t costs almost as much
to run this big unit on light load. a s
on a small load.
Taking the figures of E. G. Stahl,
superintendent of the light plant, as
given in his annual report, in which
he allows . per cent for plant depre-
citation and 4 per cent for interest on
investment. the interest and depreci-
alton alone on this SIS, 900 investment
to take care of the state house white
way will cost $3.50 per year. This
does not include the other produc-
ton costs, which, according to StahFs
report should be 1892, bringing the to-
tai annual cost to $2,142 for the state
house white way alone.
The state house white way lights
will use $4,000 kilowats in a year. Ac-
cording to the rate offered by the Edi-
son company, the cost for this current
would be only $3.50, or saving of
S1,1S2 each year to the city.
Should the city buy current in larger
quantities it would receive even a
cheaper rate.
But even if the city should buy
its current cheaper than it can make
it, it would be unpopular to enter a
contract with the Edison company"
said Newland
But this is budget making time in
the city hall and if the other city COM
missioners see a chance to save money
for the city and also trim a budget
request at the same time, there will be
a strong temptation for them to do so.