Omaha daily bee., 1916-11-27
City Commissioners Tell Why They
FAVOR the Electric Light Ordinance

Statement by City commissioners
to the pcoole Of Omaha.
!, ;,s .ss.,,;., -. A.. ....
:" - vs.. "'"' ',"'''e, '"e 's'e,'"
dum OF ordnance NO. $50, the Elcc-
trio Street Lighting Contract ordi-
nance is REGARDED ,arrelv in the ma.
,,,. - =, 80, t..., ~. .,:o -
VI "'' "ppe'' ''o'', '"e "''o'' VI
tne commissioners OF the city, in en-
acting tha' ordnance INTO law TINS
aetion 10 DC sustained or 10 De over
tu'ed' as may seem advisable, by the
electors at me coming special cleo
t'on TO be neld on the 9th day OF De-
eemoer' iSio,
IL Woula appear, therefore, nut ap-
p.ropriate and becoming OF the under
signed commissioners to state briefly
ocp as conciseiy as consistent with a
tair degree OF certainty, the reasons
which influenced them IN tavoring
the enactment OF sad ordinance INTO
law
No Contract Now.
The city now is and has been with
out street lighting contract since
July, 1914 1t has been paving for its
street lighting on the basis of the
prices per lamp charged in the pre-
existing contract This situation has
been and is unavoidable, except bv
another contract, because the city IS
without its own street lighting fix
lures and apparatus and is without
power to secure the same except in
connection with the ownership. bv
the CITY. of a complete plant, The
CITY has no power to compel A dis
criminatory rate in its favor as A user
of current Consequently, the onlv
remedy available. for number Of
wears at least is A street lighting
contract
There are now about 1876 so-callcd
ordinary arc lamps which cost the
citv S55 90 net ner iamn ner annum
There are about l3S lO-ampere fam
ing arc lamps which cost the CITY
So. % net Der lamp, per annum
Aside from the gas street lighting
this equipment constitutes the entire
street lighting eouinment Of the city
(except street lighting equipment on
the South side under an existing con-
tracD. The city's area exceeds thir-
ty.hve (39) square miles and It re-
CURES no enort TO understand that
the number OF lamps above IS en-
tirely inadequate.
Inc ordinary arc lamp wniie con-
Stunning much more current than the
ploposssu .a amp s,ves ~. H. ,"i .S . WI
lt' -. y. sanG.IPc =: H. 'nSn VIC NJ
.. lamp psos'i i. N inc e nid ". n us
i;rh.;aG a az , ..nardS 1 .ype u
ns..as sem ,.;fa,,, 1870 a. a" III
q ua'eu ' anu a,' LINZ -. Gr ~
cues "ne'e sn"''s r., III ane Msn'n's
i Iys.e" y 10. maui ia H.. /. i;na,s, =.
lamp 10 ~. ~ T.. o'a ~. ~ :,,n" v
ing u''ptaIeu Wy n 49, Inu ,p.o..u
.ypss u asp' :t ~ nn.
eonie sgoa. M 'a :s. . % ;.. seo.
ony a I'm IN .ne n.e a sa y, mmp ,.l,
MN. "1 .,:a .. ss ~ ~
current tsnu ,n,S ';. ~. VI d.; H. Hs
i.sn,s OF expense, wi.n ai, ue % i;rhss
IeiatlVeiy as sleat a vo'uIi T ~ nka.'
hIter az, II Is voiulhe anu u's!I'ou-
tion OF 'gn' LOT which INC city IL e~-
peha'hs us money.
Needs Big Sum.
To maintain annually the present
number of lights, to-wit: l4l7, costs
the city $7o0S4.75. This sum is the
amount now annually available for
such purpose and the question con-
fronting the commission has been and
l. ,h.th.r or MT ,,ore ,;obt and =,
";dsr d;s,,;hrt;nn of i .snec;aIiv in
The out.iv;ng sections might be OBJ
t,;r.d without eniar0in0 The expendi-
tur. 1Trt;i leg;slat;on ;s had a larger
sur, viii not Re ava;lable
sun r. 1 AZ Nv" and ,hs mndsrs;ored com-
n;ss;onars 81 tbs c;tv have been work
;na s;nce the;r advent into Office In
tn ns ,,taN has h..n oht,;ned from
. na ~ ~. 49,, n;.;ss of H. Gown.
o - " .soas..;n do nr;c. wb;ch elec-
ttr;c ~ strset l;oht;no ;s costing such
cities, and this information has been
reduced to candle power so as to fur
nish a basis for comparison. 1t is
light which the city is buying, it is
light which it wants, and candle power
is the unit which furnishes depend
able test
Under the existing system, the city
is and has been paying on an average
1873 cents per hour per candle power
per annum. Under the prices fixed
in the pending contract, the city will
pay on an average ga cents per houf
per candle power per annum. ms
price is one OF the lowest prices paio
IN any OF the citEs or TINS country
tor street lighting, below street hght-
ing under municipal ownership even
Much data IN the possession OF the
undersigned abundantly support these
statements; In most OF the cities as
Iarop and Iarpnr than ours fhp Of1Ce