The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-09-29
AN OPEN MEETING
CONSIDERATION OF HOME HEATING
AND LIGHTING CONTRACT.
df1te Actfon-C0mmfttee's Ac-
tiOn-City Affairs.

The councilmanic committee on contracts
and franchises held an open meeting last
night for the purpose of considering the
contract entered into by the Board of Pub
lie Works and the Home Heating and
Lighting Company. whereby the latter has
been granted a twenty-five year franchise
N this city.
Opportunity was given TO those who are
opposed to the franchise to state their OBJ
j~ections to the committee. and then the
committee went into executive session, with
the result hat it agreed to disagree until
next Monday night, when the matter will
be finally considered.
A part of the committee is opposed to a
favorable report on the contract as it now
stands, and 1t is probable that if a ratiica-
ton of the contract is recommended ii will
be considerably modified. One or two MEM
bers of the committee think that a twenty
five years franchise is much too long. and
others are of opinion that IL cents per radi-
atiDg foot is much too high a figure, as 1T
practically makes the hot water system Of
heating prohibitive TO the laboring classes
Of the city. The committee as a whole
agrees that it doesn't know as much about
the subject as ii should, and several of the
members propose to make a further invest
igation of the matter.
The only citizen present last night to
raise his voice in protest of a ratification
OF the contract was S. d. Noel. During
the course of his remarks Mr.. Noel said
that he believed he expressed the senti-
ment of a majority of the citizens of In
dianapolis in saying that the contract Is
entirely too one-sided. One objection which
he said he wished to urge was the letting
Of the contract for a period of twenty-five
years. 1.-The time for the general use of
electricity as a motive power is almost
TO tie up this city with a contract which
puts II in the power of any company to
deprive us of any benefits that may accrue
to us from future developmnts in electric
ity." Mr.. Noel said that he had 1t from
Mr.. Rauh's own lips that the territory
of the company would probably extend
from Tenth street TO Twenty-second street,
and from Bellefontaine street TO Senate
avenue. This said Mr.. Noel. sis prac-
tically the wealthy portion of the city, and
the benefit would inure solely to that class
of citizens" In closing, Mr.. Noel asked
the committee TO postpone it's report until
next spring, saying that while the officers
of the company were informed in every
particular with regard to the hot water
system of heating, yet the members of the
committee and the citizens at large knew
nothing about it. A postponement. said
Mr.. Noel, could do no harm, for it would
be impossible for the company to accom-
plish any results for this winter, at any
rate. In reply to Mr.. Noel, e. r. Vincent
insisted that the formers argument had
been based on a misunderstanding of the
subject, and proceeded to show in a scien-
tifc discourse why IL cents a radiating
foot would not be too high, and why a
twenty-five year franchise would not be
too long. S. E. Rauh. the president of the
Home Heating and Lighting Company. and
Edward Hawkins, a stakeholder of the
company, spoke In Xix strain. and the
meeting adjourned.