Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-03
THE ELECrR1c LIGHT CONTENTION

Lidhe subway III bAlS WY anu eiS OPSA"
ton of the order is only suspended by a
motion to reconsider, and which ought to
prevail. The REcoRD-UNIoN has OPP
posed the haste with which the matter has
been pushed, and it sees no reason for
ceasing its opposition. That there is
economy to a city in the competition of
corporations to furnish it with such neces-
saries as gas and electric lighting is not to
be gainsayed. The city interests must
always be preferred to the personal desires
or private gains of anyone, or the wish to
engage in a public enterprise, and it is
this consideration alone that moves us in
this matter.
The city advertised for the letting of the
contract for the lighting of the streets for
two years from the 1st of January, 1890.
A bid was filed by company having
plant in this city both for gas and electric
ity. Thereupon another body of men
came forward and proposed to bid, and did
bid, on the understanding that it should
be granted a franchise for the placing of
machinery and the use of the streets for
poles, wires and structures beneath the
surface of the streets and the alleys, for all
present known and all possible future uses
ofelectricity. But it added the further
condition that the erection of this new
plant must be contingent upon the award
ing OF the contract to it for lighting the
streets for two years. If this was not ask
ing the city to furnish the new set of men
with the capital for their enterprise, then
we do not understand the meaning of
words. We have no hesitation in saying
that the proposition was not only unheard
Of, but was little short of impudent.
Had the authorities desired to enjoy the
benefits of the competition of another bid
der for the lighting of the city streets
they should have postponed the letting of
the contract to give the new company
time to organize, to put in its bid in due
form and to make manifest its sincerity
by putting itself upon a par with other
bidders by setting up its works as they did
the others in the first instance, and then
take its chances under the detail of sealed
bids But this was not done. On the
contrary the unheard-of proceeding was
had of granting to the new company while
yet it was in embryo, the right to light the
streets and occupy them for all pos
sible electrical purposes, and giving it
ninety days in which to erect the neees-
sary works for lighting purposes. We
submit that this was not fair play, and it
is doubted also if it complies with the
law; certainly it did not comply with the
terms under which bids were asked for, to
wit, to light the streets from the first day
of the new year.
While other cities are receiving large
premiums for franchises for public works,
the anomaly is presented of Sacramento
pressing to give few petitioners the chief
capital that enables them to become COM
petitors for public work. Scores of COM
panies can be formed any day Oh sim
liar basis. Franchises to occupy the pub
-lip7fi-wrttcn 1oans can be secured and in
vestments made. But, in addition to the
free gift of the franchise, this city is asked
to pledge itself to the payment of a pre-
migm in the shape of a contract guaran-
teeing to the new scheme certain income
for the period of two years. A more I'M
business-like proposition we do not believe
can be cited.
The new company, after it made its APP
plieation, went through the form of or
ganization and Incorporation, and it was
then disclosed that with an announced
capital stock of S25O,0O0 but $4,000 of it
had been subscribed. How much bet
ter it would have been for the promoters
TO have formed and incorporated their
company first, to have shown their faith in
the virtue of their system by securing
properly-conditioned franchise and by es-
tablishing works, and then to have said to
The city: We are prepared to compete for
furnishing you with street lights, and we
demand the right to compete"
The propriety of granting the right to
further incumber the streets with poles
and wires and subways for fifty years for all
present and all possible future uses for cleo
tricity is open to grave doubt. 1t is bad
policy, in the light of the antagonism that
IS everywhere developing to overhead
wires as conductors of electrical currents
1t is a bad business to tie this city for fifty
years hand and foot in this matter. All
the probabilities are that before long we
will want to introduce very different sys-
ten Of electrical carriage for public uses.
Even when the contract was let to the
new company the other day it disclosed
grave defects, as also does the franchise,
and to few in the latter let citizens turn
their attention. In all other franchises to
use the public streets, as will be seen by
4GAS4 SANS " b4lS 4tttittct lilt HOlutIo VI tic
franchises have been bound to repair all
streets that they dig up or disturb, and to
restore them, after making excavations, to
as good a condition as that in which
found. Nothing of the kind appears in
the new franchise. 1t was inserted in all
granted heretofore; why, then, was it
omitted in this case?
There is no requir, ment that the wires
shall be so strung or the sub-ways laid as
not to endanger the fre-alarm system, or
TO interfere with the operations of the fire
department in extineuishing conAagra-
tons. Surely this is requirement that
the commonest business wisdom suggests.
Certainly that regarding the repair of
streets disturbed, and which we repeat has
been made provision of all other fran
ch;ses of that ORDER cannot be omitted in
the interests of the city, while the omis-
sion is directly in the interest of the
holders of the franchise.
No security whatever is given to the city
that after the ninety DAYS of granted grace