What Light Costs

In compliance with a resolution by the common council, City C!erk Bach has written to various cities in the state to ascertain the price charged to consumers for gas, and also to find out what the various cities pay for street lighting. Replies have been received from five of our neighboring cities showing that Ann Arbor paya more for lighting the city than any of these places, and that in all except one place our citizens are charged more for tbe gas which they use, in that city, Adrián tbe prices being the same. The price charged in Ann Arbor to small consumers is $2.50 per thousand feet, with ten per cent. discount if paid before tbe Kuh of the month. The prices charged in our neighboring citiei, according to the letters received by the city clerk, are as folio ws: Kdlamazoo: - Q-as to consumers, $1.70 per 1,000; gas to city, $1.50 per $1,000 ; electric lights on the streets, 33 cents per light for lights running until 12:30 and 50 cents per light for lights running all night. Niles: - Gas $2 per 1,000 to consumers, and $20 per post per year for street lights. Adrián: - Gas to consumera, $2.50 per 1,000, with ten per cent. discount if paid by the 15th; electric lights $100 per year per light for lights running every night and until daylight. The contract for lighting the streets has now expired and the council expects to make a new contract at a lower rate. Battle Creek : - Gas to consumers, $2 per 1000; elejtric lights for streets, 24 cents per light per night for running until 12:30. The common council have figured that this is too high and contémplate putting in a plant for the city, unless a new contract at lower rates can be made. Jackton: - Gas to consumers, $1.60 per 1000, with a discount of 25 cents per 1000 if paid before the middle of the month, bringing the net cost down to $1.35 per 1000; electric lights for lighting the êtreets, 24-J cents per light per night, the lights running from dusk until daylight. It will be seen that the prices quoted, both for gas and electric lights, are below those paid in this city, and as the gag company'e franchise has expired and the contract with the electric light company will end with the present year, it might be well for our common council to investígate the matter and Gnd out the reason, if there is any, why we should be charged more for these nenessities than our neighboring cities, befure granting a new franchise or making a new contract for lighting the city.