New Britain herald., 1917-12-19
L|GHTLESS NIGHTS
 ON THURS. AND SUN.
May Cut Out Half of White Way
 Lights During War
CITY ECONOMY URGED

Bright Lights in Oty's Business Dis-
 trict Win Be Cut Down Fifty Per
 Cent. Two Nights Each Week At
 Least.
 Responding to a request for fuel economy made by the United States fuel administration, the city of New Britain will cut down it's Main street white way lighting 50 per cent. on every Thursday and Sunday night dur ing the period of the war. This will become effective tomorrow night it was announced this morning following a conference between Mayor G. A. Quigley, City Engineer w. H. Hall and Manager George Atwater of the Con- necticut Light and Power company. In addition Mayor Quigley states that there is a possibility that the new lighting plan may be permanently adopted for every night during the war.
 Throughout the entire country the fuel administration is endeavoring to economize on fuel by curtailing the hours on which electric signs are light ed and also by economizing on street lighting. Numerous articles in the press have been read by everybody concerning the darkening of New York's great white way on Nghtless nights" and tomorrow night this city will experience its first of this kind.
 To Darken White Way.
 it is not the desire of the fuel admin iSfr finr fn 1no ic11 al oh hfS, on these so called "lightless nights, but to cut down on the number of lights used. To this end it has been decided that in the white way district of this city only every other flaming arc is to be lighted on Thursday and Sunday evenings. This means a re- ducton of just half of the customary lighting on these nights. In order to accomplish this however, the lighting company will have to send an employe around on Thursday and Sunday af- ternoons and on Friday and Monday mornings to turn off and turn on the lights that are being temporarily ex- tinEuished. While there is no doubt that the extinguishing of these lights will prove a saving, the question now arises of whether or not the extra employment of the man to care for
 
 city, although the fuel saving will be obvious.
 Mayor Quigley, in commenting upon the lighting economy, stated this morning that Chairman FL N. Hum phrey, of the board of public, works, is to be approached on possible plan to cut out half of the white way lights every night during the war, pro- viding the experiment on Thursday and Sunday evenings shows that the streets would not be darkened too much by such a plan. 1nasmuch as each of the flaming arcs used by the city in its white way district costs $S5 per year, the mayor declares that he will insist upon the lighting company giving the city a substantial rebate in case it is decided, from patriotic mo- tives and in accordance with requests from the fuel administration, to dis pense with half of the central lights during the period of the war.
 Urging Departmental Economy.
 While speaking of these economies, the mayor also remarked today he Is sending out special letters to all of the city departments urging the strictest economy in preparing their estimates for the coming year.
  ready beginning to feel the burden of the war" said the mayor, who added that in consequence of this all unne- ccssary expenses must be dispensed with, He furthermore said that he does not expect that it will be ne cessary to boost the tax rate any higher than the 20 mills of the past year, and he hopes it may be possible to lower it to an appreciable extent.
 Mayor Quigley has also addressed letter to Marcus White, of the lnstl- tute, impressing upon him the need Of city economy and asking him to curtail the amount of his annual li- brary budget, possibly by eliminating the amount to be expended for new books. All these things are necessary, the mayor believes, especially since he anticipates that the school board will appear before the finance committee this year and ask an even greater amount than in the past, due to the already overcrowded school condi- tions and the great advance in the costs of all materials.
 Lightlcss Nights in Stores.
 The Connecticut Light and Power company has also arranged for two lichtless nichts in the stores The or der as issued calls for Thursday and Sunday evenings to be dark as far as keeping up the practice of illuminat- ing show windows from dusk until 80 o'clock. The order was original ly intended to become operative to- morrow evening, but owing to the fact that merchants are keeping their
 (Continued on Eleventh Pa2e)