The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-10-04
COMMITTEE SAID WAIT.
Hasn't Had Time to Investigate
Electric Light Company.
ANOTHER APPROPRIATION FOR
NEEDY SOLDIERS FAMILIES.

liant Nirht,s Meeting of City Council
Rather Dull-The Lower Board Takes
Offence Because the Aldermen Ad-
iournee without Giving Notice to the
CouuciImen.
The contest over the electric light ques-
ton. which was to have had another in
ming at last nights meeting OF the city
council, = was postponed a week, TO give
the alaermanio committee chance to
make further inquiry into the financial
standing of the Cumberland Illuminating
company.
Quite raft of business was run off,
with unusual alacrity, though none OF
it was of great Importance.
MORE TIME ON ELECTRICELIGHT.
Alderman Smith, representing the COM
mittee appointed at the last meeting to
investigate the financial standing and
intention of the Cumberland Illuminat-
ing company, whose petition for the priv
ilege of setting poles and laying conduits
in the streets Of the city is OF the table,
reported that the committee had been I'M
able to complete the duty assigned It,,
and asked for one week more time.
This request brought Alderman Rounds
TO his feet with speech that was more
foreihle than eloquent. He didn't see
why it was necessary to spend much
time in looking into the finances of this
company. 1t had simply petitioned for
the privilege of erecting poles and laying
eonouits, and it would be sufficient Tor
the city to bind the petitioners to per-
form the work TO the satisfaction of the
city authorities
s'Cold weather is coming on" he add
ed, land if we are going to let this COM
pany in we ought to do it at once. The
members of the city council had the
privilege last week of looking over the
plant, and I understand that the COM
mittee has since been up there with ex-
perts. Isn't this so?'
This latter question WAS evidently ad-
dressed to Chairman Smith of the COM
,niutee, as Alderman Rounds looked
straight across the room at him, but nc
response came.
Alderman Rounds continued: ST want
to know, your honor, if it isn't SO, that
this committee has been at North Cor
ham with experts, looking over the cleo
trio plant I want to ask this question
through you, and I expect the committee
to answer"
Alderman Smith-"I can simply say
that the committee is not ready to report
tonight. We prefer to make no state
ments till we are ready to report our do
ings."
Alderman Rounds-"Then you won
answer my question: You won't say
whet her you have employed experts tx
look over that plant? / am a member o.
this board and have right to ask any
committee any reasonable question. Th'
chairman of this commit tee stands w
here and tells US it is none of our bust
ness what the committee has been doing.
Ii it is a fact that they went up there
with experts, who hired the experts? Die
the committee hire them, or the Consoli
dated Electric Light company? l want
ed the city to spend 800 for experts. bu
I was voted down. Now If the city is
too poor to pay for experts, and we arr
to look to some outside corporation tt
hire them, it is time we go out of bust
ness. I, for one, am not ready to grant
the committee further time.
Alderman Lamson found time to sand
witch in the suggestion that as the matter
in question is a very important one, il
should be only fair to grant the commit
tee a weeks extension of time. HI
thought this should be done. out of re-
spect to the committee.
"Out of respect to the committee, hey
repeated Alderman Rounds, with EN-
phasis. Tout OF respect to the other foul
members of this board they should bt
informed what the committee has beer
dcing. But the committee doesn't see fl
to tell US, SO [ move that we do not ex
tend the committees time, -
His motion was not seconded. Alder
man Lamson then moved that weeks
extension Of time be granted, and the
board voted to 1, in the affirmative, the
representative of Ward being the only
one to dissent.
AS soon as the vote on this matter was
declared, Alderman Rounds introduced
an order, giving permission to the Port.
land Electric Light company to erect
poles, string wires and lay conduits il
the city, provision being made that the
permit would become void in case the
company should sell or lease its charter
Alderman Dow remarked that as this
matter is pending in the hands of "a com
lnittee, the order ought to lie ON the table
He made motion to that effect, an6
the order was tabled by a vote of to l..
The special committee on municipal
lighting was granted further time. at the
request of its chairman, Alderman
Rounds.
A TALK ON TAXES.
hn xzaifipp TN hear