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Show SENTIMENT AGaTnST CUTTING OUT LIGHTS Salt Lake City and Other Communities Communi-ties Decide Street Lights Must Remain Re-main and Money Saved in Some Other Way? It is doubtful if any mote along the.-lines the.-lines of saving money In the administration adminis-tration of the affairs of municipalities i in Utah has attracted more attention! throughout the entire state than the, decision reached by the board of com-1 missioners of Salt ILake City recently I that it is impractical and highly un- j safe for a community to attempt to save money by cutting out any part of Its street lighting system. The question came up In Salt Iake as to whether or not it would be best for the city commissioners to save $10,000 annualty by cutting out a number num-ber of street electric arc lamps In the centers of long blocks. After carefully considering the move from every angle, and in the face of a flood of protests against the cutting , out of the lights, from citizens in every section of the city, together with vigorous vig-orous protests from Juvenile court authorities, police officers, church so-j cieties. labor unions and fire depart-' ment authorities, the citv commissioners commission-ers 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 doubt-ful If the question will ever come up again. j It was pointed out that street lighting light-ing Is used primarily for two purposes, f'rst. the convenience and safety or citizens, particularly those on foot; while on the street; and. second, as an i added police protection and precau-j tion. It was shown that the elimination elimina-tion of adequate lighting increases ac- eldents to citizens and either Increases j crime on the street and burglaries in i the homes, or materially increases; costs of police protection. It was plainlv pointed out that the small : amount of saving to be effected by any : reduction In a community street light-' Ing system can be easily offset by ser-i ious accidents to citizens, and by in-! crease of crime, burglary and Increas- j ed cost of police protection. j A number of western cities werej communicated with. In Seattle, Spok-j anc, Portland. San Francisco, Los An-j geles. Denver, and other places and the answers received Indicated that the authorities in charge of municlnal affairs in these cities consider the maintenance of adequate street lighting light-ing 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 Jhe fact that citizens affected by a reduction In a number of j street lamps In operation do not have their taxes decraaed In proportion to ' the decreased protection which they; receive. . A particularly strong protest was I sent in to the Salt Iake City board of j commissioners by laboring organir.a-j tlons throughout the elty, who called attention to the fact that the present Is a time when all available man-power is needed In every community, and that the houra of work of many labor j ing people necessitates their being onj the streets at night, when decreased , street lighting would constitute a aer-i Ious menace to their personal safety. . , Reports from many states elsewhere ; In the country Indicate that towns and ; rural communities are abandoning ell j thought of a reduction In street light-1 Ing as a matter of municipal economy, j and are directing their attention toj other things in an effort to operate to fie greatest advantage during warj time. j |