I THE STREET LIGHTING MUNICIPAL OWJVERSH1P HAY BE CONSIDERED TONIGHT The Mayor Will Probably Send in t aiessage Card From the Com puny Stating the Facts Regard grtlieLislits Bcins Turned tAt t-At tonights meeting of the council the city fathers will begin t wrestle with the electric light problem The S i question may not be of such great moment mo-ment as the gravity sewer proposition but i will for the next few months furnish ample ammunition for lively discussions in the chamber The alabosorbing < question now is what will the council do in the prem ises isesThat prompt action is necessary is I conceded all by al The city cannot remain re-main in darkness regardless of the financial stringency confronting the municipality The city engineer Chairman Chair-man Doremus of the board of public works C R McKay and others who are capaole of computing such mat ters have been investigating the feasibility fea-sibility of erecting a plant on City creek Just what their conclusions are win not oe aennitely known until the council meets tonight I was ascertained ascer-tained that yesterday afternoon there was a quiet meeting in the mayors office with several interested city officials offi-cials present The result of this conference was learned to be that the mayor will tonight to-night send in a message to the council recommending that the city at once put in its own electric lighting plant on City creek I is difficult to make a close forecast of what reception this recommendation will meet with at the hands of the councilmen A few days ago the majority of them were favorable to any nronosition that would be a slap at the Salt Lake and Ogden Gas and Electric Light company Scarcely anyone had ill view erecting a new plant however and this proposition may not be expected to meet with any prompt actionS action-S One of the strong factors against the city erecting a plant will be encountered encoun-tered in the element always talking retrenchment Salt Lake is credited with being a fairly progressive city still there are some members in the counci who are slow to vote for anything any-thing that involves the expenditure of a few dollars even though the investment invest-ment will be a great benefit to the city and its taxpayers The electric light company says very little but there are somi who believe that this apparent calmness is due to an assurance assur-ance that municipal ownership of street lights has not sufficient friends in the council to carry Afew of the councilmen were approached ap-proached by a Herald representative yesterday but they were unwilling to place themselves on record for or I against the proposition until it has been thoroughly ventilated Just now thd following clipped from an eastern electrical journal will be of considerable interest to the people of I Salt Lake I is proposed that a joint investigation investiga-tion be made the National Department Depart-ment of Labor and the bureau of labor la-bor statistics in the various states as to the economy of municipal ownership of gas and electric light plants Every Ev-ery electric and gas lighting plant in the United States which is owned by the municipality will be reported upon and a sufficient number of private establishments I tablishments to afford a basis of comparison com-parison between the two plants Pull statistics of the cost of plant the interest on plant the cost of materials ma-terials the wages paid the cost of superintendents su-perintendents and the quality of lighting light-ing furnished will be given The bal since sheet for public and private establishments estab-lishments indicating whether the public pub-lic establishments pay a real profit make up a deficiency from taxation ation or pay a nominal profit by ignoring the cost off plant and bonded indebtedness incurred for its establishment establish-ment will be presented in each case If such a move is inaugurated i would be of great assistance to the cities contemplating the putting in of suoh plants