Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 298, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 December 1911 — ABOUT THE METER RATE COUNCIL HAS ESTABLISHED. [ARTICLE]

ABOUT THE METER RATE COUNCIL HAS ESTABLISHED.

Initial Bate Must be Experimental and Change Can be Made If Receipts Prove Adequate. City Light and Water Superintend* ent C. S. Chamberlain has asked The Republican to define his position and that of the city council on the meter rate to be charged when the meter system is put in vogue. To' begin with the rate of 10 cents per kilowat for the residence section and 8 cents per kilowat for the business section has been decided upon. Prom present information Mr. Chamberlain thinks this rate is necessary and fklr. It is the rate that has been inyogue where ever |be meters have been in use. The city has no desire to increase its revenue for lights at the expense of presdht users, any more than sufficiently to care for additional expense, which will include the reading of the 'meters. v lt will take some little time to determine whether the rate can be lowered and if it can be, it is the lntention_tO make ft as low as po«pible to provide the revenue derived at the present time from the flatrate basis.

Some information as to the cost of burning electric lights of various candle power may prove interesting at this time, so .that readers may le familiar with the cost when the meter system is adopted. There is a great difference in the cost of burning the old style carbon lamps and the tungsten, the latter being ver much cheaper and at the same time of more powerful grade. The carbon will consume 60 watts of electricity an hour for each lamp of 16-candle power. There are 1,000 watts in a kilowat and the expense of burning a 32 candle power lamp for an hour would be .1 cent on the city circuit and about 1.2 cehts on the residence circuit The tungsten lamps fire manufac tured in 20, 3C, 40, and 80 ea»u!epower strength. The electricity consumption of the tungsten lamps is as follows: , 20 c. p. 25 watts per hour. ■ 30 c. p, 40 watts ner hour. •40 c. p. "3 watts per hour. 80 c. p. 100 watts v-er hour. It will thu;! be seen that 80 candle power tungsten burns less electricity than 32 candle power carbon.

As the carbon lights get older they burn still more although giving a poorer light. Ail subscribers will find it to their advantage to supply their residence and stores with the tungsten lamps. They will also find that it is essential that lamps are not left burning in rooms not in Use and that in leaving one room and going to another for even a short time, the lights should be turned out of the room vacated.

All subscribers are informed that the adopted rat '3 is experimental and witl be cheapened if it is found to greatly exceed the present reveue. The plant 1b the property of the city and hence the property of every taxpayer and all that is wanted is ti assure the city a fair return, based upon fair business principles. Electricity is the cleanest, most convenient and in practically all respects the most satisfactory light there is, and it is hoped that none will permit themselves to be inveigled into buying gas or other lights unUl they have given the meter Dlai. of charging a fair test.