The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-10-17
CONDUIT ON EIGHTH STREET
SOME QUESTION RAISED ABOUT
GAS COMPANY's REQUEST OF
BOARD OF ALDERMEN
City Attorney Asked as to Whether
the Ordinance CoHfers Amy New
Privileges on the Company or
Not.

The ordinance passed by the board Of
aldermen granting to the st. Paul Gas
company the right to erect line of poles
and lay conduits on certain streets for
the transmission Of electric power from
the new plant of the company at Apple
River Falls Wis, was sent by the as
sembly committee on streets yesterday
afternoon to the legal department. for an
opinion as to the rights the company has
under it's present franchise.
The corporation attorneys office had
given City Engineer Claussen an opinion
to the effect that, under its fran
chse, the st. Paul Gas company had
the right to lay gas mains on streets
without securing permission of the city
engineer. All that was necessary, the
legal department held, was that the com
pany file with the city engineer a draw
ing showing the route to be taken in the
laying of the main or pipe, and then pro-
coed with its work, the street, however,
to be restored to as good condition as it
was before the work was commenced.
Manager B. F. Ellison, of the gas COM
pany, Informed the streets committee
that, under franchises granted to the
Edison Electric Light and Power COM
pany, the East ST. Paul Electric Light
company, st. Paul Light, Power and Heat
company and the Davidson Electric
Light company, now controlled by the
st. Paul Gas company, it was within the
province of the company to erect poles
and wires and lay conduits. The COM
pany, however did not want to tear up
any of the paved streets leading into the
center of the city from the east in order
to reach It's distributing station on Cedar
street, and for this reason asked per-
mission to lay conduits on Eighth and
other streets.
Several members of the committee did
not take the same view of the franchise
question as did Mr. Ellison. Objection
was made to the new ordinance not limit
ing the time of the franchise to any num-
Der Of years. and also on the ground
that the grant would be a valuable one,
and in return the company should pay to
the city q certain amount of its gross
income for the franchise. Assemblyman
Albrecht took the ground that if the COM
pany had the right to use the streets of
the city under franchises granted in the
past then it was not necessary to pass
the ordinance. All that would be needed
was the passage of a resolution allowing
them the use of the streets for pole lines
and conduits. The situation, IN a nut
she'll he said, was if the company pos
| sessed the rights claimed the council, by
| passing the ordinance, was granting it
nothing. If, on the hand, the ordinance
| gave the company new rights, then a val
liable concession was being granted with
| out compensation.
| Assistant Corporation Attorney Griggs
! promised the committee to have an opin-
ion as to the rights of the company under
past ordinances prepared by Thursday
afternoon, and the committee adjourned
/ % meet at o'clock Thursday.
The ordinance of Aid. Reeves providing
for free telephone connection between st.
Paul and Minneapolis to subscribers OF
| the Northwestern Telephone company
was laid over until d report now being
prepared by the corporation attorney and
city engineer is ready. The report will
give the location of the poles, lines and
conduits of the telephone company and
the ordinances and resolutions under
which the same were erected or laid.