The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-08-07
WILL NOT BE TAXED
THE COUNCIL KILLS THE NATURAL
GAS MAINS ORDINANCE.
Prohibiting Horses from
Standing ON Asphalt Streets strfcl-
en- from F~iIes-Other Matters.

The ordinance providing for a tax on nat
ural-gas mains was stricken from the files
by the Council last night by a vote of Is to
.. The finance committee, to which the or
dinance had been referred, submitted two
reports on IT, The majority report favored
striking the ordinance from the files. The
minority report favored the passage OF the
ordinance after IL was amended so as TO
make the tax l cent a foot, instead Of 3
cents. When the two reports were read
Mr.. Drew moved the substitution OF the
minority for the majority. Mr.. Allen IA
vored this motion. He sand the field pres
sure in the first wells drilled was S25 pounds
and in the last was 2sT 1915 pounds,
which was a decrease OF but 31b pounds a
year. At this rate of decrease. he said. gas
would last ~twenty-four years longer. He
also said that there was a question wheth-
er the danger point was not lO pounds, in
stead of 200 pounds, as claimed by the rep
resentatives OF the company. He said the
figures submitted by the Trust company
showed its annual receipts TO be $46i.000 and
its expenditures $4,000 leaving an excess
of receipts over expenditures amounting to
$S2i,OU. This was a profit Of over 80 per
cent. on the investment of 100000, and he
thought the companies were amply able TO
stand the tax.
Mr.. Drew said he had always been OPP
posed to special taxation. but there were
times when ii was needed. 1t was on this
ground that he had favored the vehicle
license ordinance. The city found its treas
ury so depleted by the Sullivan adminis-
tration that il was absolutely necessary to
raise funds by some means. He thought
some tax should be levied on the mains in
return for the expense the city had been TO
in repairing streets torn up with mains. He
thought the companies would be able to
stand the 1 cent a foot.
Mr.. Costello said. while the figures showed
on paper that the gas in this field would
probably last twenty-four years, experience
in Pennsylvania and Ohio had shown that
1t would not last that long. He said he
had regretted that he had voted for the
ordinance fixing the gas rate, and did not
till afterwards understand the relation of
the Trust company TO the city. The gas
was at the city limits, he claimed, under the
control of a monopoly which refused TO
enter the city unless ii was given its price
for the gas. At this time the Trust com
pany was organized by citizens for the
benefit of the city, and started TO work with
the money subscribed and paid by citi-
He said that he believed these citizens
should be repaid the money paid in by them
them. 1t was highway robbery, he said. 10
take this money from the Trust company
ana prevent the repayment OF the money
thus subscribed by the citizens.
Mr.. Rauh said nearly all of the profits
were taken for thu betterment OF the plant,
and In seven years the stockholders nad re-
ceived only 212 per cent. in dividends.
Mr.. Murphy disclaimed any knowledge OF
the Trust company, but said he knew that
the Indianapolis company had saved 10 the
citizens $.O00,00 ana if additional burdens
were laid upon it a higher price would have
So De ch tbe mi nor gSsi report pne n was lost st sT the
vote being as follows: Yeas-Alen, Drew.
Kaiser, Ryan, Young. Nays-Colter, Cos
tello, Hennessy, Koehring, krauss, Magei,
Merritt, Murphy, O'Brien. Puryear, Rauh.
Schmid, Shaffer, Stott. Cooper. The mo-
ton to strike the ordinance from the files
was carried by the same vote.
The ordinance prohibiting vehicles from
standing for more than a half hour in one
siderable discussion The on or
dinances recommended that ii be stricken
from the files, and the report was concurred
in. Then Mr.. Young moved that 1t be en-
crossed, which motion was lost Mr.. Drew
moved that the ordinance be stricken from
the mes; ana Mt ha forunas6 hscE ~ sbs ordi-
nance committee. In speaking on this mo-
ton ne said the ordinance was intended TO
prevent the destruction of improved streets.
He said it was the practice of many per-
sons to have a horse standing upon an as
phalt street all day in front OF their ONCE
or business house. The horses, by their
paving. would wear a hole in the pave
ment. The ordinance provided that a horse
should not be permitbt TIED bou stand NOR Ia Ion Sne
than two hours within any given block
during any twenty-four hours. Mr.. Young's
motion to substitute was lost, and The or
dinance was stricken from the flies.
The ordinance requiring the removal OF
the vaults from Greenlawn Cemetery ana
providing for the Improvement OF that place
was passed. The ordinance transferring
5000 from the contagious disease fund and
$500 from the Board OF Health fund 10 the
City Hospital fund was passed.
The judiciary committee reported favor
ably upon the building inspectors oral-
nance, but the further consideration OF the
ordinance was postponed. The ordinance 10
permit the production Of the Fall OF Pompeii
without license was referred to the commit
tee on ordinances.