Show sentiment against I 1 cutting out lights salt lake city and other communities decide street lights must remain and money saved in some other way it Is doubtful if any move along the lines of at saving money in the administration of the affairs of in in utah ta I 1 has attracted more attention throughout the entire state than the decision reached by the board of commissioners ners of salt lake city recently that it Is impractical and highly unsafe for a community to attempt to save money by cutting out any part orf its street lighting system the question came up in salt lake as to whether or not it would be best tor for the city commissioners to save annually by cutting out a number of street electric arc lamps in the centers of long blocks blacks after carefully considering the giove more from every angle and in the face of a flood of protests against the cutting out 0 of tile the lights from citizens la in every section of the city together with vigorous protests from juvenile court authorities police officers church so BO cities labor unions and fire department authorities the city commissioners voted to retain all street lamps so great a protest was raised against eliminating street lights as a matter of municipal economy that it is doubtful it if the question will ever come up again it was pointed out that street lighting is used primarily for two purposes first the convenience and safety of citizens particularly those on en foot while on the street and second as an added police protection and precaution it was shown that tile the elimination of adequate lighting increases accidents to citizens and either increases crime on the street and burglaries in the homes or materially increases costs of police protection it was plainly pointed out that the small amount of saving to be effected by any reduction in a community street heating system can be very easily offset by serious accidents to citizens and by increase of crime burglary and increased cost cast of police protection A number ot at western cities were communicated with in seattle spokane portland san francisco los angeles denver and other places and tile the answers received indicated that the authorities in charge of 0 municipal affairs in these cities consider the maintenance of adequate street lighting highly essential and that no move to cut down the number of lamps in operation will be given consideration another point that created a strong impression was the fact act that citizens affected by a reduction in a number of street lamps in operation do not have their taxes decreased in proportion to the decreased production which they receive A particularly strong protest pretest was sent in the salt lake city board of commissioners by laboring organizations throughout the city who called attention to the fact that the present is a time when all available manpower man power is needed in every community and that the hours of work of many laboring people necessitates their being on the streets at night when decreased street lighting would constitute a serious menace to their personal safety reports from many states elsewhere in the country indicate that towns and rural communities are abandoning all thought of a reduction in street lighting as a matter of municipal economy and are directing their attention to other things in an effort to operate to the greatest advantage during war time |