The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-01-12
WHO'S

prompted by the acts of the Public Ser.
vice Electric Company in its work of re-
wiring the town for the purpose of giving
better lights and for providing day cur
rent. 1t has been shown in more than
one instance this corporation has not
paid much attention to the right of the
public or to those of individuals. 1t has
worked on the idea hat the public was
of no account. The Township Com
mittee bore with the Public Service
people until ~forbearance ceased to be a
virtue and then the committee touched
a tender point. 1t refused to pay the full
rental for the lights one month and
that brought representatives right to the
spot.
But eve yet the corporation seems to
think it WINS everything in sight.
This must be inferred from the way in
which its employees act. The rights of
property owners are disregarded and
even the Township Committee is, as. we
said a week or SO ago, made monkeys
Of" In support to this remark it need
only be shown that last week three poles
were erected on a street in the upper
part of the town and a lamp was hung
on of the poles. And the Township
Committee knew nothing of the transac-
tion.and never gave an order for the lamp
to be placed on the street in question.
Then, with great GOODNESS, a representa-
tive of the corporation appeared before
the Township Committee, Tuesday even
ing, and asked approval of work done
in placing arms on poles. This re-
quest was properly refused. The work
will all be approved when all is finished.
In erecting these poles mentioned
private property was trespassed upon.
The men who were doing the work were
warned that they would be called upon
laughed and went on with the work.
The owner Of the ground has signified
his intention of nothing the Public Ser
vice people to remove the poles within a
certified time, or he will cut them down.
1t is to be hoped he will stick to his reso-
luton. In the first place the poles were
never ordered placed on the street by the
Township Committee, and the owner
never gave permission to have them
put up. So there is no authority what
ever for them to be where they are.
Another case of rank nerve and dirty
work occurred on Monday of last week.
A gang of men went to the property of
Clifford Kelly, on Cherry street, and de-
liberately cut a hole in the new concrete
sidewalk in front of the house, Miss
Kelly, who occupies the house, asked
what was going on and she told the men
she did not want the pole there. To this
the answer was that she had better getIan
injunction. She asked if the men would
delay the work until she had secured adj
vice and she was assured they would,
but while she was consulting a lawyer
the pole was put in place. With the
evident intention of making matters
more secure the hole in which the pole
sits has been filled with concrete, the
pole has been painted and a single wire
which does not appear to connect with
anything has been attached to it.
This is only on a par with many other
things that the Public Service Tele-
phone Company has done here and else
where and it is high time that they
should have a halt called on them. By
going a few feet in another direction the
pole on Cherry street could have been
planted in dirt where the pavement does
not go to the curb, but it looks Is if the
men in charge had selected this parti-
spot because they thought they
had a woman to deal with and that she
could not defend herself. The Township
Committee proposes to have this ques-
ton of who owns the town settled. 1t
has been suggested that the Public Ser
vice does not own a franchise to operate
our streets. The Township Com
will investigate this point and if
the corporation has a contract, a fran
or an ordinance, have it's provisions
made known SO that our people may act
accordingly. The system inaugurated
of holding back a percentage of the
money for lighting in proportion to the
inefficiency of the service will be ~contin-
ued until the corporation has lived strict
ly up to its contract. The Township
is wide awake on this subject.
This was shown when it refused to APP
prove of a portion of the work that had
been done. What the joker was in this
is not known; possibly there was
any, but the committee took the
wise course in Withholding approval I'M
til the whole contract has been fulfilled.
Other towns are having trouble with
the company. Burlington has had an
expert at work on the lamps and he says
that the actual service, which was to be
1000 candle-power, has measured as low
as from II to 80 percent. as against the
standard fixed by the Public Utility
Commission. Following this report City
Council held up a bill of several hundred
dollars for lighting and demanded reduc-
lions to compensate for the loss Of service
according to contract.
Blank books and Office supplies. L. 5.
D1-~o -k&sA-or adv