New Britain herald., 1917-01-13
T0u,n Topics

Why not make New Britian's white way'' even winter by installing the new kind of lights around Cen tral Park, replacing the incandescent 1ights now in use there? About the only thing that can be said in objec- tion is that 1t would probably necess1- tate the removal of the ornamental lighting standards that now fringe the park walk. These poles do pre- sent an attractive appearance, but 1t would seem that the increased lighting efficiency would more than offset this obstacle. While the present park lights are nice to look upon, they are worthless for lighting purposes It would cost the city only $125 per year more to use the improved system, according to the city engineers fig ures. There are eight lights around the park, costing at present $475 per year and the other system for the same number of lights would cost only $500. By having these brilliant white lights thus clustered about the center of the city, the general aspect of the business district would be materially enhanced.
 The petition requesting the board
 of public works to again install the incandescent light on the top of the
 Soldiers Monument is meeting with
 general favor The request should be
 granted It would be a civic improve
 ment and would cost comparatively
 nothing.
 From viewpoint of public service
 it would. seem that the old order of
 things whereby Hartford and Chest
 nut street cars were permitted to
 take on passengers at the Center
 church corner was by far the best.
 Granting that there may be certain
 traffic benefits resulting from the
 change, it is certain that the actual
 inconvenience to the public ff-sets sit many times. It is now several
 months since the change went into effect and when people were confused
 at the time 1t was said they would
 soon get educated to the change. But
 they have not and there Is hardly . trip to Hartford but what sdmeone,
 not Knowing that the car does not
 stop at the corner, waits in vain for it to stop. It would seem that for
 the benefit of public service. trolley
 cars again be permitted to stop at
 this corner as in years gone by. If
 another stop must be abolished to
 make up for this one there are plenty that could be selected without seri-
 ously embarrassing the public. The
 present system has been given more
 than fair trial and by it the public Is not getting satisfactory service. The management of the trolley conn ! pany should now realize this and go back to the old system. If the same authority that induced him to make the change stands in the way he should appeal to higher author ity. It is absurd to make a passen- l ger walk several hundred feet down Church street to take the car if he is not at the center, or to wade through slush and mud dodging traffic, 4n order to board the car as 1t stops ! at the switch on Main street just be- fore rounding the curve for it's speedy dash down Church street. Mayor | Quigley has asked for better trolley ! service. Many citizens feel that this is one instance where an improve l ment could be made.
 1 According to figures furnished by
 Fire Chief R. M. Dame and the gov 1 ernmental census department, New 1 Britain's fire loss for 1916 avera ged a trifle more than ninety-eight cents l per person. The chief gives the fire 1 loss as $48, 8,S63.30, and the govern i ment estimates the population at