The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-23
A Compromise May
Now Be Forced.
PERRAULT WINS A VICTORY
PRAYERS AND THREATS BY
CORPORATION COUNSEL.
Board of Supervisors Delays Action
for Another Week on Account
of Dilatory Tactics by
the Minority.

The city's gas bills are still unpaid, and
the San Francisco Gas and Electric Com
pany. because of its refusal to agree to
an equitable rate for gas, finds itself con-
fronted with the possibility of losing
something like slS5000 on its gas bills for
the present fiscal year. The money in the
general fund. from which the gas bills
are paid, is being rapidly exhausted, and
il IS estimated that by the end of the
fiscal year there will be a shortage in the
fund of more than Sl00,O 900 Unless the
cumpanys gas bills are ordered paid be-
fore this fund is exhausted the company
viii stand TO lose the full amount of its
bills.
For this and other reasons yesterday s
session of the Board of Supervisors was
rendered more than lively when it reached
the point where the consideration of the
gas bills was taken up. Supervisor Per-
rault. on behalf of the minority, made an
other assault on the bills, and by dilatory
parliamentary tactics succeeded in having
any final action as to the payment post
poned for another week. His victory was
not achieved, however, without a struggle
and not until Attorney Bishop, represent
ing the gas company, had paid his compli-
ments to the board, the Mayor and all
who are held responsible for the effort to
pleaded and threatened by turns, ques-
toned the veracity and motives of the
chief executive and the members of the
minority and ended by giving utterance
10 a yelled threat that unless the bills of
the company are paid, and that quickly,
no more gas and no more electric light
will be furnished and the city will be left
in darkness.
At the last meeting of the board, when
the authorization of the gas company 5
bills for November, December, January,
February and March came up for final
passage, Supervisor Perrault moved as
an amendment TO the resolution of au-
thorization that the rate charged be
changed from 81 80 per thousand feet to
81 10 per thousand feet The amendment
was lost by vote Of to 5, and Perrault
gave notice of motion to reconsider the
vote. This action hung the bills up for a
week. Yesterday when the motion TO re-
consider came up 1t was lost by the FOL
Noes-Aigeltinger Attridge. Black, Col
Inns. Kalben, Holland, Phelps, Z; ayes
Byington, Deasy, Heyer, Lackmann, Per
The question was then on the final pas
sage OF the authorizations, and Perrault
moved to amend the authorizations by
making the rate to be paid for gas 81 OE
instead of 81 so, and to reduce the rate
charged for electric lights 26 per cent. The
vote on the amendment was:
Noes-Aigeltinger Atuldge, Black, Col
Inns, Holland, kalben, Phelps, I; ayes
Byington, Deasy, Heyer, Lackmann, Per
rault. ..
Perrault then gave notice of motion to
reconsider the vote whereby the amend
ment was lost. This gave rise TO a storm
of dissent from the majority members, as
they realized that such action would tie
up the bills for another week. The Mayor,
however, ruled the proceeding 10 be
proper. In the meantime Attorney Bishop
asked for and obtained the consent of the
board to address it. He begged the board
not, to resort to dilatory tactics but TO
take some definite and final action. He
wanted such action taken, he said, be-
cause he was led to believe the Mayor
would veto the authorizations even We're
they passed. If this were done it would
give his clients an opportunity to appeal
to the courts, proceeding which he de-
cared to be what the gas company most
urgently desired.
there was a matter Of something more
than $1S5 900 involved in the payment OF
the bills, and If the gas company did not
come TO time soon there would probably
be no money left in the treasury to pay
them with. He added that the board had
put itself on record as being in favor of a
rate of 81 10 for gas, but that II the gas
company showed a opposition to do the
right thing and come forward with q
proposition the board might be induced
10 compromise by paying the bills at the
rate of 81 35.
This was not what Mr.. Bishop wanted
He declared that the board should author
lie the payment of the bills as presented
the matter could be taken to the courts
He said that the board could not expect
the gas company to go on furnishing gas
at a loss and that it would not do So
Mayor Phelan recommended to Mr.
Bishop that he make some proposition tc
the board for a reduction of the rate
charged, making the somewhat unneces-
sary explanation that the dilatory tao
tics adopted by the minority were for the
purpose of forcing the company to come
TO FERNS 1t being apparent that II could
not be induced to make a fair rate in any
other way Bishop replied that he was
not empowered by his clients to make
the Mayor and that ne would not do so
He then made another appeal to the board
TO pass the bills, but without avail. The
majority could see no way in which the
defensive tactics of the minority and the
rulings of the Mayor could be overcome
AS the case now stands there can be nc
final action until the next meeting of the
board. and in the meantime the amount
of available money IN the general fund
grows beautifully less. 1t was a very bad
day for the corporation and the prospects
for the future are not at all encouraging