Edison or Tesla

Talk of Hiring One of Them to Advise the Power Committee.

BUT CHAIRMAN BOECKEL, WHO HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED TO ENGAGE AN ELECTRICAL EXPERT, IS AFRAID TO DO SO ON HIS OWN RESPONSIBILITY — OTHER EXPERTS IN MIND.

In the minds of some of the City’s representatives in the Common Council, things have come to such a pass in dealing with the question of granting a franchise to the Niagara Falls company that they would like to engage the services of Edison or Tesla. It is interesting to know that there really has been some serious talk of employing either the great American wonder worker or his able Servian contemporary.

At last Friday’s meeting of the joint power committee, a resolution was adopted authorizing Ald. Adam Boeckel, chairman, to hire an electrical expert to advise with the committee in handling the franchise matter. It was expected that Mr. Boeckel would have an expert in time to advise the committee at its next meeting, two weeks hence. But, judging from what he told a reporter for The Express yesterday, he is in no great hurry to take the responsibility for incurring what seems to him to be a needless expense.

“Have you chosen an expert yet?” he was asked.

“No, not yet,” he replied.

“Have you got any particular expert in mind?”

“Yes: several have been suggested.”

“Is Edison one of them?”

“Yes.”

“And Tesla?”

“Yes.”

“Who are the others?”

“There are three others, but it would hardly be fair to mention their names just now. They are all bright young graduates from colleges of electricity, with some practical experience to back up their education.”

“Do you expect to be able to engage the services of either Mr. Edison or Mr. Tesla?”

“No, I hardly think we can get them. It would require what would seem to the City a fortune to hire either of them. They have so much important work of their own that we could hardly hope to get them, unless we made it worth their while, and that would mean a great outlay. I have been so informed by men who are close to these great electricians.”

“Then there really has been some serious talk of engaging them?”

“Well, it was suggested by several persons, members of the Council and leading citizens. If we could get a first-class man,” continued Ald. Boeckel, earnestly, “cost would be a secondary consideration. Money honestly and prudently spent is never a loss. Some of the press have complained that the hiring of an expert would entail unnecessary expense. For my part, I am convinced that it would pay. There is this great corporation, the Power company, getting the benefit of the advice of the best electricians in the country, and here are we, common laymen, who are expected to see that the City gets a fair benefit from a franchise that will be worth millions to the company which gets it, obliged to meet this array of talent without an adequate knowledge of the technicalities of the subject. We should have an expert who could advise us just exactly what it should cost the citizens of Buffalo to have this power generated and delivered to them.”

Then Ald. Boeckel took occasion to try to set the committee right for its delay in acting on the subject-matter.

“Ever since we have had this matter under consideration,” he said, “the committee has been harassed and driven and urged to grant the franchise, but we have not yet been able to extract a single promise from the Power company as to the price for which they will deliver their product to Buffalonians. Now, we want the citizens to get an equitable bargain before giving away this valuable franchise. It will be worth millions of dollars to the company, and the City surely should receive a large benefit from such a grant. But, as I said before, no definite price has been named to let Buffalonians know positively how cheaply they will be served with power, and that is why we are delaying. I am not looking for any boodle. I have a large business of my own, from which I derive good and legitimate profits, and I ask no odds of any corporation; I simply desire to see that the City gets a fair return for what it gives.

“The Power company lays great stress on the point that the consumers themselves will keep the price of power down. People will refuse to take it unless it is cheap enough, they say. That is all nice talk, but that isn’t what we want. What we want is to know exactly how much they will bind themselves to deliver so many horse-power to us for—how much 100 horse-power will cost us and how much 500 will cost, or how much another given amount will cost. If the company will not make any price, I am in favor of the City taxing it a certain percentage of its gross receipts. But I am willing to go on record as saying that if the company will bind itself to furnish the product for a stated figure, as low as possible, I am in favor of letting the company have the franchise without taxing it.

“As to delay and haggling and dragging along, of which we are being accused, we are going slow in the interests of the City. The Lord knows I wish the thing had been settled six months ago, but the committee is charged with a great responsibility, and we must act without haste and with caution.

“Now, about this expert. If we had the advice of an electrician who understood the business thoroughly, we could know positively what the power should cost, all things considered, and so we could act with less uncertainty. We could set a price which would be equitable to both sides; then, if the company declined to accept it, we could refuse to grant it the franchise. It would, of course, cost something to pay this expert, but it would pay the City in the end, I am sure.”

“Then you probably will go ahead and engage an expert, will you?” was asked.

“No, I won’t say that. I don’t feel like taking the responsibility upon myself of hiring an expert. You see, it was not a quorum of the joint committee which passed this resolution, but a minority. I shall get the Corporation Counsel’s opinion before taking any steps toward hiring an expert. I don’t want to run the risk of having to pay for his services out of my own pocket, you know.”