The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1919-01-06
New Contract Just Made VIII Save
city Of keokuk Twelve Thou
sand Dollars In Next
Ten Years.
CHEAPEST IN AMERICA
kcokuk Has Best Lighting System Of
All Iowa Cities and Now Gets
1t, for Least Cost Per
Lamp.

Nv contract just signed, the city
AZ Keokuk gets its street lights for
Inc next ten years cheaper than any
nther city in America, 1t is believed.
The pa arc lights, including the
dfty-four in the white way in Main
street are to be kept lighted all night
syery night by the Keokuk Electric
company for S55 per year each.
ANY additional street lamps order
cd in by the city council are to be
operated at the same rate. The time
If the contract is ten years from De-
cember Z, 1913 when the last con-
tract made seven years ago expired.
The price in the new contract Is to
apply to all the street lighting since
December 7, although the contract
itself has just been executed. 1t was
signed today
Saves Large Sum to the City.
The old contract was at the rate
Of $50 per year for each lamp. The
saving to the city by. the new con-
tract is SIS per annum on each lamp,
or 1920 per year for all of them.
which is $4,000 for the life of the
contract just executed by the city
council.
The lamps. are to be of 500 watt
capacity and are to be kept lighted
from a half hour after sunset to
half hour before SUNRISE every night
In the year, with the globes kept
clean and the lamps in good condi-
ton.
.inis certainly gives Keokuk the
best public lighting system in Iowa.
and at the least cost at that. Bur-
Iington is sample of the other Iowa
cities, and she is paying $50 per lamp
per year for only moonlight SEIZED.
>ule, which is much less light and al
together unsatisfactory here.
The Cheapest Rate in America.
East ST. Louis is the nearest to
Keokuk in low price Of real street
lighting, and that city pays more
than Keokuk. It gets its street
lights for s65 year on an all night
schedule-which is $40 more than
Keokuk now pays. ~
Out Of a long list, fifteen cities in
the United States picked at random
shows all paying much more for
street lighting than Keokuk under
the new contract. Against Keokuk's
rate of s55 per lamp, is placed five
OF the fifteen other cities paying
over 500 per lamp; five paying over
$50 per lamp; two others paying
more than $50 per lamp; two paying
above $40 per lamp; and one, East
st. Louis. paying $65 per lamp.
Diligent search faxed TO find any
city in America getting street arc
lights for as small Al price as Keo-
kuk pays. Some at a little less money
are on moonlight schedule which
nearly doubles the price per hour,
and some use large incandescent
lamps, while one installed the entire
plant at the cost of the city and
hence paid low rental for its own
property. Aside from such varia
ions. keokuk gets more and pays
less than any other city.
The Way the Mayor Compromises.
Negotiations have been going on
between the city council and the |
heokuk Electric company for over q
month for new street lighting con-
tract
The company at first proposed the |
same rate as last year, and as an al |
teratiye offered a moonlight schedule !
at 500. Constant conferences occur
red, and compromise was reached !
finally.
The way the mayor compromises |
Is 70 get what he asked for in the |
nrst place." said Manager ]. p. Ingle, |
u The electric company
The company acted very fairly"
aald Mayor Lotion, and while It
asked more at first and we had TO !
alsue awhile, | think the contract we
hnally agreed upon is very good
one for the city. They were very
nice people to do business with |
throughout the negotiations.