Evening Post. SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 1891. THE ELECTRIC LIGHTING QUESTION.

Evening Post, Volume XLI, Issue 138, 13 June 1891, Page 2

Evening Post. SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 1891. THE ELECTRIC LIGHTING QUESTION.

Mr. De Castro must have a very low opinion of tho Wellington City Council's business capacity, and of tho care exercised by tho New Zoaland Parliament in regard to Private Bill legislation, or he would never take up the attitude he has done in his negotiations with tho City Council on the question of electric lighting. His idea seems to be to nso the fact that tho contract for the City lighting has never been signed by the Gulcher Company as a lever for inducing or compelling the Council to exorcise its influence towards the promotion of an Electric Lighting Bill giving tho Company enormous powers and privileges in regard to private lighting by means of electricity. If Mr. De Castro does not get his Bill, his Company will not sign tho contract, and we suppose will abandon the work they undertook to do. The City Council, in the dnty it owes to the public, certainly cannot accept some of the conditions which Mr. De Castro maintains are essential, and even if the Council were to do bo, a Bill containing such evidontly one •sided provisions as against the public would not have tho slightest chance of passing the ordeal to which Private Bills are necessarily and properly subjected in Parliament. This is much more severe and searching than Mr. De Castro Beom9 to think. If he wants Parliamentary authority for electric lighting by Ms Company ho will have to be content with a great deal less than he now insists on, and to accept conditions and restrictions imposed for the due protection of public interests against monopoly. Wo exceedingly regret the position which the negotiation has now assumed, for we believed that Mr. De C abtbo' s visit would result in an arrangement likely to be beneficial to all parties, and to largely increase the use and nsefulnesa.of the olectric lighting in the city. In regard to the question of charges for excess of water, wo sympathised with Mr. De Castro, and thought the Council too much inclined to drive a hard bargain. The settlement of that difficulty appeared to leave tho way oleor to a satisfactory arrangement generally; bnt tho attitude now taken up on behalf of tho Company is one which tho Council cannot possibly submit to, however unpleasant tho immediate consoquences of refusal may be. Unless Mr. De Castro consents to materially modify his terms and proposals, tho whole negotiation will have to be broken off.