The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-03-26
Won't Allow the Cottonwood
Power Company to Erect ,
Poles.
FEARS THERE IS A SCHEME
TO LET THE PIONEER POWER
COMPANY IN FREE.
And breads Combination Between
the Two Companies-Manager
Jones Assures the Committee
That His Intentions Are Strictly
Honest-Acrimoni Discussion
Without Any Result.

Without Any Result.
The attempt of the Big Cottonwoo
Power company to extend its line to tn
northern limits of the city to conneo
with the Pioneer Power and Electri
company of Ogden met very decide
opposition last night from the city coun
Gil. The Improvement committee got to
gether for the purpose of considering
Manager Jones application for permi
to erect poles along Fifth West which
was denied by the city engineer some tw'
weeks ago. A warm session was tn
result, and if the predictions made b.
Mr.: Jones come true the city ere lon.
! will be involved in several nights witt
| electric power companies.
/ Briefly stated Mr.. Jones declared tina
/ the Utah Power company will not com
ply with the terms of its franchise should
the city desire it TO erect the 400 pole:
which the contract calls for Should
4 this prove true, there will be a suit OF
hand to revoke the franchise, and JUDI
/ ing from the experience of other cities
this Will be no easy task.
! Then the Big Cottonwood company al
| the expiration of 80 days from the time
! it filed the application with the city
/ engineer to extend the pole line to the
! northern limits, will. should the city re-
fuse to issue the permit, begin to erect
: its poles. This will of course involve the
city in another suit. and the only hope
of winning will be to establish that the
Big Cottonwood company is seeking to
enter into p combination with the Pho
/ neer company a condition prohibited by
all franchises.
NOT OF AN OBJECTIONABLE KIND.
Manager Jones does not deny that a
combination is in contemplation, but II
is not of a kind that should be objected
object
is to connect with the power company
for the purpose above of supplying IL
with power should il be crippled. In
turn the Pioneer company will supply
the Big Cottonwood concern should it.
as has sometimes been the case, become
crippled. The Pioneer company intends
extending its lines to the smelters south
of here as well as to Bingham, and ac-
cording to Mr.. Jones. desires to be in
such a position if their power should fail.
that the Big Cottonwood company would
at once supply the current.
The committee saw no particular OBJ
lection to the combination scol.en of,
but were afraid of something hidden in
the wood pile To them as well as to
City Attorney Mckay, who is associated
with the committee, the desire of the
Big Cottonwood company to extend the
line north appeared to be A scheme TO
let the Pioneer company into the city
for nothing. This company's applica ton
for franchise. it's subsequent refusal to
come to terms and the final threat that
it would enter the city without a fran
chise was fresh in the memories of the
members and they listened with suspicion
to every word uttered by the company
representative, and finally refused to
take action.
MANAGER JONES STATEMENT.
Manager Jones soon after the committee
of the whole had risen, got the commit
tee on Improvement together and eX-
planned how he had applied to the city
engineer for a permit to extend it's pole
line to the north: how he had been re-
fused by that official because the lctte-
had been instructed not to issue the per-
nit. and the matter was finally referred
to the council.
Callister at once began to fire a few
broadsides: THE object of your COM
pany is to connect with the Pioneer COM
pany of Ogden. is it not?''
I'm this way only replied Mr.. Jones,
that if either company is crippled the
other will help out. We both intend to
run our wires TO the smelters; we use
the same system and if one company for
some reason or other does not have
sufficient power the other will furnish 1t.
l tell you. gentlemen. this is not scheme
to let the Ogden company in gratuitous-
". Either way I don't see how you can
refuse us what the franchise calls for.
a permit to extend your line north
for the purpose of, say supplying Farm
ington with power, you would have en-
countered no difficulty in securing per-
JOnes-Not the slightest.
Judge McKay-Well. Mr.. Jones' I'll give
yOu credit for being pretty smooth
This remark by the city attorney
the manager, who emphasized his reply
by bringing his fist heavily down upon
the table
II won't stand your insinuations Judge
Mckay" he Numbered. Il am candid and
YOU have no right to charge me with
dishonest Intentions
DIDN'T MEAN IT
The judge said he did not mean to in
sinuate anything and the storm clouds
passed away for a few moments.
Callister said it didn't seem right to eX-
act a s25 600 pole line from the Utah
Power company for its franchise, and
then go ahead and do something that
would permit the Pioneer company to
come in free.
They will never do it, declared Jones.
Il say it, and mark my words. the Utah
Power company will forfeit its franchise
rather than put up that pole line. They
accepted the terms because it was the
o=ly way they could set in. Now they
are in and all they want is to supply the
ear lines with power.s They need only one
street line You may revoke their fran
elise. but you can't go and cut their
poles down. at least in the hundreds of
lights on this kind on record the COM
pany has won nearly every time"
Callister and OMeara laughed at this
ana insisted tndt IL the Dtdn rover COM
0any failed to erect the pole line as their
franchise called for, it would certainly
% revoked.
Judge Mckay could see no reason why
f the permit was granted. the Pioneer
company could not come and distribute |
is power over the Big Cottonwood line. |
But that is not the intention. de- |
Jared Jones.
Allen got in a word at this point, and |
tsked how it was that Mr.. Jones COM |
,any was proceeding to erect poles with |
tut a permit.
I'VE haven't" replied Mr.. Jones.
But l see them up for two blocks
'ersisted Allen.
"Oh. well, the boys got ahead of me
md there is a possibility of a few poles |
'eing erected. l did not anticipate being |
efused permit, but as soon as denied |
stopped the gang" said Mr. Jones.
McKay-Do not those poles belong to
he Pioneer company?
Jones-They are poles we bought from
he Pioneer company. Our books are
pen for inspection and will show that.
Callister-Wen. Mr.. Jones, you will adj
ait you are letting in the Pioneer COM
any free?
Jores-I honestly deny that.
Callister-Well, you may be honest about
I. but you are not the Big Cottonwood
Jones-Well, now, l come as near being
he company as any one man can posi-
ly be so.
CALLS 1T A HOLD-UP.
Jones also took occasion to say that the
itys attempt to exact cash consider
ton from the Pioneer company for its
'anchise was nothing less than a hold-up.
Mckay (meditatively)-Wel l DOR like
/, L. ., in on