This small orange notebook labelled “Memo, Electric Light Co., List of Users, etc. etc, and Notes “by the way”” was kept by W.A. Braedon. On the first page he has written: “Memo of parties using the Electric Light and date when they got the Light in Carleton Place”. His list begins September 28th, 1885. Homeowners were charged by the number of bulbs and the number of hours the bulb was turned on.
In 1905 Carleton Place street lighting was improved under a ten year contract, with introduction of a year-round all night service and erection of 150 street lights to supplement the arc lamp system. Photo-Info- Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum
On March 1st of 1948 Carleton Place Hydro manager M. W. Rogers reported power consumption had risen over the weekend. This was a very unusual situation, and he said the blame should be put on the Carleton Place housewives. Apparently, our lovely ladies refrained from operating electric machines and ironers on Monday and Tuesday. Rogers assumed they carried their washday work over to the weekend. Mr. Rogers hoped that fact would be reflected on Monday and Tuesday with a week-day reduction similar to that effected work. Mr. Rogers, had I been alive then, I would have been protesting in front of the Carleton Place Town Hall singing the very song I posted below. Geesh!