The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1919-08-01
Current OF Again

For the second time this week all
| industries in Cambridge, depending
for motive power upon the Cam
bridge Gas, Electric Light & Power
Co., were compelled to shut down.
| Monday the current was off from
about two o'clock until after one
O'Clock Tuesday afternoon; today it
was off from about nine o'clock until
about three o'clock. The loss to
Cambridge amounts to over thou
sand dollars a day, factories, busl-
ness houses and individuals suffer
this loss; wage earners, in many in
stances, lose their pay, manufactur-
ers lose production and the profits
that accure from it, and the public
suffers expense and inconvenience.
1t has been generally understood
that when the present company took
over the franchise rights of the old
company, it agreed to keep the local
plant in such shape that in the
event of a breakdown at the Laurel
plant, the local consumers would on
ly have to wait for steam to be got
ten up here, a matter of only short
time at the most.
A claimant for $50 reward off
cred by the Commissioners of Cam
bridge recently has occasioned
special meeting tonight of the Com
missioners, but the loss of thousands
of dollars by our business people,the
inconvenience and danger arising in
connection Herewith, has resulted III
the expenditure Ct two cents to mail
a letter of protest. Cambridge is
laying the Golden Egg for the corpo-
ration that controls the electric cur
rent, but Cambridge is accorded SER
vice that is unsatisfactory in the
extreme. 1t has not been many mon
tbs since, when, on account OF lack
of coal, the gas plant was practical
ly shut down, and only recently
there has been much complaint OF
the quality of the gas furnished the
consumers, some persons stating
that they could hardly stay in their
homes on account of the fumes arts
ing from it. The Commissioners pro
tested and relief was promised, but
it has been claimed that the relief
did not last very long.
For months it was nothing unusu-
al for the current to go off Saturday
and other nights; in fact such a
thing was likely to happen at any
time, but many promises were made.
Whether correctly or incorrectly, the
public was informed that Tie local
rlant was being held as an e:nergen-
cy plant, equipped, ready to start up
on the shortest notice. Business
nlen made contracts based upon this
factories discontinue
ed the use of steam equipment be-
cause they were assured that there
would always be current; even the
Water Company installed motors
with which to pump a portion OF the
supply OF water to the people Oh
Cambridge, and this week employees
of these factories have lost wages
for at least one-fourth of the week,
the supply of water has been reduc-
ed to a minimum, electric fans have
been useless, electric irons; in short,
all electric contrivances, have been
useless one-fourth of the time.
What about the future?
Whist assurance, backed by at
bond, for fulfillment, to the Commis-
sioners of Cambridge, will the conf
pany give for proper service?
Unless such assurance eau be Sc
cured, then the franchise should be
cancelled upon the ground of fail
ure to fulfill it's conditions. The
public is entitled to this measure of |
protection.