The herald., 1895-06-08
A Lighting Franchise Which Was
Yesterday Sold
L. j. SCOTT GETS THE PLUM
Award Recommended by tbe Board oil
Public Works
A Street Car Franchise Is Also Disposed or.
Other Recommendations Made for
Action on nonday

The board of public works yesterday
agreed TO recommend that the tender of
l.. T. Scott for certain electric light
and power franchise be accepted. The
Scott bid is the payment Of Sl07 in cash
and the lighting of the city hall through
out for period of twenty five years. the
life of the franchise. free. This bid is
alleged to be equivalent to the sum of
S45, 900 in cash. the present cost of city
hall lighting being about S175 a month.
Attorney 7. L. Gibpon, representing J.
G. Spruance. protested against the
boards selection, quoting the statutes to
prove that Mr.. Spruance's outright cffer
of S506 in gold coin for the franchise was
the best bonafide bid, the Scott offer being
a probematical proposit ion and in its
main features an unknown quantity in
value, and therefore illegal. Attorney
Gibbon asked the board to refer all the
bids to the city attorney, and he stood
ready to abide bv the opinion in the
premises which would be thus rendered.
Mr.. Gibbon further called attention to
the statute which provides that the city
cannot enter into lighting contract for q
longer term than one year. and that the
Spruance BID had been in accordance
with the advertisement OF the council.
which states explicitly that the pur-
chaser of the SAID franchise will be re-
qulred to pay the full amount OF the pur-
chase price therefor into the city treasury
before the passage of the ordinance grant
ing the same. which section had been
entirely ignored in the granting of the
franchise to MI. Scott. The matter will
be further aired at the council meeting to
be held Monday.
The board also made the following rec
concentrations for action by the council
on Monday:
Recommended that the proposal of W.
l.. Hoover to purhase the street railway
franchise on Hill street from Fifth to
Eighth, and on Eighth street from Hill
to Olive for 500 be accepted.
In the matter OF the alley between
Sixth and Seventh streets and between
Main and Spring streets be opened ac-
cordlng to the lines of the map presented
by the city engineer and mum bered 50,
and that the district of assessment be be-
tween the south line OF Sixth street and
the north line of Main street.
Recommended that the petition of NJ.
+. Bethowski ct al. to construct ce-
ment curb on Palmer street betwe Cen
tral avenue and San Jose street, be
granted.
Recommended that the petition of l..
Nj. Davenport ct al. to make Bloom
street from Main to Alham bra avenue of
uniform width. be referred to the city en-
gineer to ascertain if the petitioners
would come into an assessment district
between Main street and Alhambra ave
nue..
Recomm ended that the petition of Nj.
b. Lewis ct al. for a six-ioot sidewalk
on Ingraham street between Union ave.
nue. and Vernon street. pe granted.
Recommended that the protest of Sarah
M. Field ct al. against the opening of
Metcalf street through to Court be re-
ferred to the city engineer.
Recon- mended that the petition OF the
Wilcox estate. to bring out the sidewalk
retaining wall on Spring and SECOND
streets to the curb line, be referred to the
city engi reer.
Recommended that the petition of
Kate Marshall ct al, for the grading.
curbing and graveling of Grand avenue
between Eleventh and Ninth streets, be
granted.