The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-09-14
THE PHILADELPHIA
GAS PLANT.
J. Edward Addicks and II. II. Ward Make Z
Proposition for Its Lease.
PANDEMONIUM REIGNED AND
The Subject Was Referred to SUBJ Cons
mittee Who Will Report to city coun-
Gil on Thursday Evening.
The Philadelphia Record say, =

Inc Philadelphia RGc0rd sav,N
Chairman Seeds of the Finance Cons
mittee presided and called up first for
consideration tho ordinance and propose
tion Of the United Gas Improvement Com,
pany. As soon as the clerk had concluded
reading the various documents Select
| Councilman Clay started the discussion.
| He said that on its face the proposition Of.
fered very factoring Inducements for tho
city to part with its gas plant and moved
the reference Of the ordinance to a sub
committee Of fourteen for thorough inves.
tigation, both as to the condition OF the
gas plant, Its needs II continued by tho
city and.the advantages to BIO gained by the
city in accepting tho proposition Of the
United States Gas Improvement Company.
!. Emory Bryan promptly seconded the
motion.
In reply to the objections Of those ON the
otherl:ide. Mr.. Clay quoted figures from 70.
IpS Of the 80 Direotor Of Public Works for
the year 1876, showing that the actual loss
on gas amounted to about 100000. Select
Councilman McCoach, of the Thirtieth
ward took exception to Mr.. Clay's fguret
Of losses and said the 1922 947 expended for
extensions as shown by the report conn
plotely wiped out Mr.. Clay's alleged loss
and showed profit. He was not opposed
to referring the matter to a committee,
but tho city should not part with the gas
!
right, and he subsequently offered an
amendment that the entire matter be re-
ferred 10 the City Solicitor for his opluioD
as to the Citys right to Lease tho gal
works Ls
QUESTION OF PRACTICAL POLITICS.
Mr.. Brnghurst declared that the whole )
question hinged upon practical politics,
and II that could DO eliminated there was
no question that the city could make
money from Its gas works. Both amends.
monts were then voted down, and Mr..
Clay's motion to refer to sub committee
carried by vote Of Al s.
n. II. WARD HEARD.
Chairman Seeds then extended general
invitation to anyone who might have any.
thing to say OIL the question, and H. b.
Ward, of Wilmington, counsel for the Bay
State Gas Company, took the floor. ID
had scarcely announced whom he repre-.
sented before objection was made to his :
proceeding, on the ground that there was
no proposition before the committee from
the Bay State Gas Company When a..
sured that 1t would take but 80 seconds to
enable him to state what he had to shy he
was permitted to go on, and announced
that the Bay State Gas Company proposed
Thursday n proposition to lease the gas
works that would be more liberal and mora
favorable to the city than any Of those yet
presented.
WILL SUBMIT ANOTHER BID. "
In addition to the propositions to ba
submitted to Councils on Thursday BY
the Bay State Gas Company and by J.
Edward Addicks personally, another offot
for the lease of tho works will, 1t is said,
DO made by party Of Philadelphia busis
moss men, at tho head Of which is JACOB
e. Ridgway, president of the Quaker City
National Bank. Mr.. Ridgway admitted
yesterday that the papers were being pre-.
pared, but beyond saying that the terms
would be moro liberal to the city than
those of'any proposition now before Coun>i
,ils, ho would gvo no information. Ho
also said tho mon in the movement were
lot promoters. but business mon Of Phila.
lelphia. whose very names were such that
proposition coming from them must be
given some consideration.
''fhoy are solid business mon" he said,
who think If tho gus works are to DO
eased that Philadelphians should control
HON, and give the citizens as advan.
agcnus terms us arc possible with the rec
urn Of fair interest on the money In,
'ested"