The Portland daily press., 1899-09-21

~ tne nation tnat naQ q body or on 96r8
no honest and conscientious a. the pres
ent board Of aldermen, (sensation In the
audiences which Is quelled by the mayors
gave1) and the municipal officers asso-
ciatsd with them. from the mayor to the
swill satherer."
the bids. He said that the Consoli dated
company had always given good service.
NO complaints had ever been made OF
the lights furnished by it. Without any
competition In the field 1t had steadily
reduced its rates. ave have heard IL said
that competition brings down the price
OF lighting. 1 deny 1t and can prove
It," said Mr.. Lamson, while there was
a visible sensation In the audience. Then
Mr.. Lamson showed that with one COM
pany In the field the rate for lights had
been reduced from $3.50 to sos per light.
Yet Mr.. hanson said, la his perorstion,
that he should be In favor Of making
the ono year con tract in order to keep
both companies In the field, and 30 have
competition. At this q murinur arose In
the audience, which had to be quelled by
the mayors gavel
BY the time Mr.. Lamson had conclud-
ed 1t was desirable to take a recess, as
the room was crowded by a large audi
enoe, the members OF the common ooun-
oil as well as a large number OF other per-
ons being jammed into the hall. But few
left the hall. Most remained and engaged
In conversation, more or 10 IS animated.
Partisans Of the two kinds OF contracts
or OF the two electric lighting companies
debated with vehement words and ges-
lures.
When the aldermen came to order the
aldermen voted 60 accede to the request
Of the council for conference, and the
mayor appointed Messrs. johnson Of ward
three and Merrill OF ward four as the
representatives of the aldermen. These
at once
WENT INTO CONFERENCE
with Councilman Cloudy OF ward seven,
True of ward three and Murphy OF ward
two, who had been appointed 1T the prev.
Ions meeting.
The conferees OF the common council
advocated the i've year contract which Is
embodied In the order passed by council
some time ago; the oonferees of the alder
men while not entirely representing the
attitude of that board in non-conouring
in the order, were expected to stand out
against the council. So horns were at
last looked between the two boards on the
question.
ssaat n hQ nj 0Iarlrf .
office, while the remainder of the specta-
tors remained ia and about the alder
mems room. 1t was twenty minutes to
ten O'Clock when the conference began
and the committee did not come In to
make Its report until IL. 10 o'clock. AL.
derman Merrill chairman of the con :
ferees on the part of the board of alder
ask for further tine.
Alderman Moulton moved that the
request be granted.
Alderman Mannix said that he would
desire report of progress on the part OF
the conference committee.
Alderman Merrill said that he was
willing to report progress II 1t was the
WISH Vi VIC budEA anu Al VIC Ac5b VA bhc
committee had no objection.
There was silence for minuts and
then Councilman Cloudy said that there
could be M objection to this report being
made on the part of the committee from
the council.
Alderman Mannix jumped to his feet
and said rather sharply that the COM
to do with the matter. The aldermen
merely wished to hear the report from
their conferees.
Alderman Merrill then stated that
there were two propositions before the
conference committee. One was to give
the contract to the Portland Electric
Light company for period of five years
at the price Of $500 per light for the first
year with the right reserved to the city
to cancel the contract at the end of the
first, the third and the fifth year. or to
extend 1t to period Of ten years. The
other proposition before the COMMITTEES
was to divide the city in half. the line to
be in the center of Congress street, the
Conso lidated company to light that par
of the city nearest their works and the
other company taking the other half.
Outside of these two propositions the
committee was unanimous In recon
mending contract with the Portland
Gas Light company for 800 Welsbach
street lights at the rate of $50 year.
Alderman Lamson objected to either of
these propositions being considered on
the ground that they neither Of them
were embodied in the original bias.
Alderman Mannix said that the COM
mittee of conference should bear In mind
that they were appointed to consider the
original order of the common council
not to formulate new orders.
Alderman Moul.on thought the CONFER
enoe committee had done just right to
make concessions as that was the duty OF
the conference committee.
Alderman Lamson objected to this as
1t was not doing business in business
way.
Alderman Mannix thought it was m