The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-24
POWER AT Low COST
GAS COMPANY CLAIMS THE CITY
WILL PROFIT BY >rTs CON-
NECTION
WITH APPLE RIVER FALLS

The Assembly Committee on Streets
Is Unwilling to Treat the
Company With the Same COnsid-
GRAFTON 1t Did the Street Railway
Company In the Matter of Allow
ing 1t to Put in Conduits.
The ordinance passed by the board of
aldermen granting to the st. Paul Gas
company a franchise to put in condufts
and erect pole lines or certain streets was
taken up, yesterday afternoon, by the
assembly committee on streets The conf
pany claimed before the board of alder
men that under it's franchise and that
granted TO the Edison Electric Light and
Power company, now controlled by 1t,
that 1t had the right but desired to use
certain other streets than those mention
ed in the Edison ordinance.
The corporation attorneys office was
called upon for an opinion by the assem-
bly, committee on streets and estegday
the corporation attorneys department.
submitted one holding that neither
the company nor any of Its
power or rights asked for in
the ordinance and that if the same was
passed it would constitute a new grant
of additional franchise privileges. The
opinion, which was lengthy one. says
in part:
Your general inquiry Is whether by the
passage of the proposed ordinance you
are granting additional rights or priv
ileges to the company. ! fail to IND any
thing in the charter of the company au-
thoriZing it to furnish electrical power to
be used for other purposes than electric
lighting, or to use any OF the streets Tor
the transmission of electrical power oth-
er than lighting purposes. 1t has been
suggested that if. it be conceded that the
gas company. is not now possessed OF the
privileges, which is sought to have con
ferred by the ordinance, that there mas
heretofore been granted by the city to the
Edison Electric Light and Power COM
pany a similar grant and that 1nasmuch
as the gas company owns the stock or a
controlling interest in the stock of the
Edison company, and the two companies
are practically allied in their business
relations, the gas company has the rlgnt
to use the streets for the purpose OF put
ting in an underground conduit ana prlng,
ing in an electrical current to be used
for supplying both light and power under
the Edison franchise. The proposed
ordinance granting a franchise to the, st.
Paul Gas company contains no limitations
as to the time over which 1t shaIl eX-
tend. In this respect it is Identical WIN
the franchise of the Edison company, but
[ apprehend that it would cease ana de-
terTnine with the expiration OF the year
1907 when the legislative franchise or the
st. Paul Gas Lght COMPANY o my e eoPlres that
neither the ST. Paul Gas Light company
nor any of it's allied corporations, so lar
as we know them possess the powers
asked for by the proposed ordinance, but
that it will, if passed, constitute. new
grant of additional franchise privileges;
Of the use of those streets. which the
applicant is now ENJOYING, the common i1hil,
the power of the council to prevent the
use of any other or further streets IN the
city of st. Paul. if. in its discretion, 1t
shall seem best to do so.
Attorney G. f. Squires, representing
the gas company, took exceptions to he
opinion. If there was any question as TO
the rights Of the company under the Ed
son franchise to lay .conduits, the current
from Apple River Falls could be bought
in on overhead wires and poles. While
this would mean q saving Of from 50 20 10
per cent to the company it was conssd-
cred advisable to put the wires under
ground as a better protection to the pub
lie. He called attention to the street rail-
power down from Minneapolis without
any permission from the council. The
franchise asked for by the gas company
would be Of immense advantage to
the city as 1t would allow manufa -uring
plants to secure power at the lowest POS
sible cost and this was really what was
needed to build up the city. The fran
chise asked for was practically given to
the gas company in 1881, and if not by that
ordinance then by the one given to the
Edison company in 1886. The gas COM
pany and the Edison company are ono
and the same now.
ASsemblyman Ktrke inquired if the COM
pany would insert clause in the fran
chise by which it would not hold the
city liable for interest on gas posts and
mains. Mr.. Squires was not prepared to
answer this.
Assenlblynan Albrecht said the COM
pany had no right to ask for any privi-
leges from the city. The city had paid
the company since 1892 $d3,6S6 as interest
on gas lamps and mains and before I9v7
the date of the expiration of the 1egis-
lative franchise granted the company,
some S60,00d more would have to be paid.
Under the circumstances he for one d
net think the company should be granted
any more privileges without some con-
cessions The ordinance should limit the
time for which the franchise should run
and contain other provisions in the way
Of concessions.
Mr. Squires took the position that the
company was not asking for anything. as
the power to be secured under the or
dinance would benefit St Paul and i S
industries.
Mr.. Kirke thought q simple reso.u ion
giving the Edison company the right to
use streets not mentioned In is franchise
Of 1885 would be as good as the ordinance.
EIe could not understand why the or
dinance did not run to the Edison COM
pany instead OF the gas company. Mr..
Kirke suggested the passage of a reso,u-
ton giving the Edison company an ex-
tension under its franchise to the streets
on which condUits were to be la d. All.
Squires was agreeable to the change,
but wanted the ordinance amended so as
to read to the Edison company instead
of the gas company. The committee
would not agree to this ard an adjourn
ment was taken to this afternoon at
o'clock, when the discussion will be re-
sumed