The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1915-04-09
CITY. S SEEKS 5. EXPERT
ADVICE ON QUESTION
OF MUNICIPAL PLANT
COMMISSIONERS WILL EMPLOY
ENGINEER TO ARRIVE AT COST
OF NEW SCHEME.
TRACTION COMPANY OFFERS
NEW CONTRACT AT JESS COST
private Corporation Would Replace
Arc Lamps With Tungstens and GIVE
More Lights For Less Money Su'
Commissioners Will Look Furtner
Before Signing Contract

burr-greater numbers Of lights and
higher candle power-was forecasteo
at a meeting Thursday afternoon De-
tween the city commissioners and rep
resentatives of the Hattiesburg Irac-
ton Co.
Whether the improved system Oh
street lighting will be controlled by the
city itself and operated by the city S
own plant or will be furnished by the
Traction Company at a reduced rate
is still a question. Yesterdays meet
ing. however, brought forcibly to the
consideration of the commissioners
the fact that the present system OF arc
lights by which the streets OF the city
are alleged to be lighted, is out OF date
and, not only that, but cost nearly
twice as much money as would modern
Tungsten globes of equal number.
Another thing brought out is that
the tax payers of Hattiesburg are not
getting what they pay for. They are
paying for arc lights of certain power
Thev are not getting getting the power
they pay for
n r Wheeler and c. z. Stevens rep
resented the Traction Company anu
the meeting was at their seeking. MT
Wheeler explained that although the
city's contract with the traction com
pany for lighting the city's thorough
fares does not expire for two years
more, the company realizes that tne
present system is both unsatisfactory
and unnecessarily expensive, and foi
that reason, he said, the company
would be glad to have the presen'
arc-light contract annulled and a new
contract, to extend five years after the
expiration of the present contract, en-
tered into.
Makes Formal Proposal.
Mr.. Wheeler then laid before
the commissioners a formal pro
posal. in which the company Oh
fers to furnish the city with mo-
less than seventy rs ampere Sc
ries Tungsten lamps of 400 candle pow
err each for SIS per month, provided
that at the same time the company
will furnish and the city will use dur
ing the life of the contract not lesi
than 10 one hundred candle power
series Tungsten lamps at $2.25 PEI
month. The proposal further offers t.
furnish current to city buildings ant
!. plants at 6 cents per kilowat hour.
Mr.. Wheeler explained that the us'
of the present system of arc-lights II
costing the city practically $500 PEI
month. He showed that the new sys
tenn will not only provide almost dou
Z bit the amount of light but will cos
only $5s750 per month, or a net saV
ing to the city of trifie more thar
800 per month.
Commissioners A. Farley was out
spoken in his opposition to signing an.
contract at present He said he believ
ed that with the city's power haus
and the surplus power which is gene
rated there every day and night, tn
city could save good sum Of none
by adding to this equipment and opeI
ating its own street lights.
Will Employ Engineer.
The commissioners were agreed tha
some change in the present out-of-dat
and costly system of street lightin
should be made at once and the
agreed that the next step would be t
employ competent, disinterested cor
.sulting engineer to look into the ma
ter thoroughly, and advise the commis
sioners the cost of erecting and opel
ating light plant of its own If thi
investigation convinced the commits
sioners that they could save money b
building light plant of their own an
IL the necessary funds could be l.
Continued on Page Two;