Those Kitson Lights!

Manawatu Herald, 15 November 1904, Page 3

Those Kitson Lights!

OUR COUNCILLORS SAY “ MO." At the October meeting of the Fbxton Borough Council, the Mayor Was instructed to purchase lour Kitson lamps tor the purpose of illuminating Main Street, provided suitable terms could be arranged. Those terms were laid before the Council at last night's meeting, which were: 25 per cent on erection, 25 per cent at a given time, and the ■ balance in six months. Besides this, actual out-of-pocket expenses by the lamp manipulator, were claimed. In all, the four lamps would have cost something like £l5O to erect. The Mayor tried hard to convince Councillors that this system of lighting would prove beneficial to the town, and would certainly be a - distinct improvement on the present system. ~ The Councillors evidently thought otherwise, and preferred to wait for some more ingenious invention. Some were hopeful of, at no distant date, lighting the town with gas, others dreamt of electricity, whilst the good old story of the back-road curse was told as evidence against lighting up the principal thoroughfare of the town. However, for the present, Foxton ratepayers and visitors will either have to remain indoors after sunset or else carry the appropriate lantern a y tallbw candle in a bottle—to avoid K'- Collision with the lamp-posts now • doing duty, and by so doing render risk to life and limb not quite so probable. “ That for the present no money be expended on the Kitson lights,” was the reading of the motion proposed by Cr Baker, seconded by Cr Gower, and carried. One member spoke of borrowing £SOOO for the erection of gasworks, when the Mayor wished to know how we were going to get it. Possibly the only way the Mayor imagined .Foxton Borough could get 5000 goldies would be through Tattersalls 1 Other members wished to know more about the Kitson lights before purchasing them. • However, for the present, “we are to have no lights,” and will have to take our chance in the darkness.