The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-30

that necessity mays compel it Ito shut
down all lights with the expiration Of the
old contract ETs,..4 -
This apparently carelessly sworded urtf-
matufn was delivered yesterday after
noon ut a meeting of the assembly by
representatives of thesgas company and
came only after a heated argument i'll
dulged in at meeting of the committee
On gas previously held In which the
members refused to give their sanction
to the signing of the contract on the
ground that the rate demanded was too
high.
DEMANDED CHEAPER GAS
The reasons offered by Chairman
Wheeler aud his associates on the com,
rnittee for refusing to approve the bid
was that the rate for gas made was
higher than that enjoyed by Minneapolis,
while in electricity the cut, $4.s0 per lamp
was hardly in accordance with the prom
ises made that when the Apple river
power station was completed electricity
would he cheaper. see.
Representatives of the gas company in
the persons of President Lathrop, G. c.
Squires, p. A. Young Crawford Living
ston, Kenneth Clark and Maurice Auer-
bach were present and in answer to the
various questions put as to why the gas
rate should not be cheaper, and why st.
dul SIEOufQ ItOI nave rates OF OU cents
and ST 20, as enjoyed by Milwaukee and
Minneapolis, stated that the consumpt on
in those two cities 7was greater. allowing
a corresponding feduetfonJ while in Mill
WauSee coal was leSsGHr price by 81 to
$t50 a ton. AS. to stheI statement that
Minneapolis was payingtiess by ten cents
per LOCO feet for gaSztthe gas company
representatives answered 1T. by PORTING
out that such had B9en Drought about by
n oitx IN
for a contract for aonurt1ber of years ex-
acting from the, coptnanX of that city an
agreement to reduce atfe price when the
consumption of. ga6j Reached q certain
figure. In electric night, lIloweyer. Min
neapolis was paying tS2Gt more per light
than ST. Paul. if the schedules. were on.
the same basis. Az: asfway4 cut Of the.
difficulty. however Gthefi company offered
to give. the Minneapolis rate for gas pro,
Vidfng the Same fisqEesnaid there for cleo
trio light was allowed.
PROMISE OF eGHtsAPER GAS,
Mr., Lathrop also assured the committee
that when the consumption OF gas in this
city reached the. figures, now. consumed
in Minneapolis, the local company would
sell gas for $1,20 or less.
Three hours the discussion prevailed, ar d
it might have kept on fer an Indefinite.
period had not several of the assembly
men sent out word that, they were tired
of waiting and that if nothing was done
they would go home. u
/ On, this Chairman Wheeler prepared the
report Of the committee, which was to
the. effect that the IBID he rejected, be.
cause of. its@e4e essiYe rate fpE gas and
that new bids, be, adyeEtfsed for by the,
board of public works Attached was a
resolution ordering. the gas .cpfnpanY to
icentinue lighting the Strs@ts. payment 20
DE MA, made b. ths Ely t;3 2s as1stodSrs
igether and the report and resolution OF.
feled for passage. President Lathrop pro,
tested against such action on the ground
that his company had not been treate1
fairly The contract, and bid had been
carried AROUND by the committee, and
now, with only two days for the present
contract to run, summary action was to
be taken with. no. chance for it. to meet
the contentious of the members of the
:coInmittee.
81 protest, gentlemen continued Mr..
sLathrop There has been ample time
to- talk this: matter lover, but. though
meetings repeatedly have been requested
by US for some unexplained reason no
one appeared, CIR even. called. upon us for
any information" ,V xass -
Chairman Wheeler answered this, by
stating that the committee had been
looking into the nattet, but as they were
looking after the interests, they
outside and unbiasef,xg b-.9
The report of tleeve9mmittee was. here
put UP for passa ge9ft receiving approval
by majority of one Assemblyman Den
ny siding with the eoinnittee President
Dix in giving his negative explained
sharply that he could. pot sanction such
delay as the committee had ample time
to attend to the etybefere this time.
Siding with him was AsSe mblyman Whit
comb. ID Stl[
THREATENS .TOoC1EE yOFF, LIGHTS.
The resolution ceiling upon the gas
company to light theIstreets pending the
STRENGTHENING out CPL the difficulty,
brought George C1sSquires to his feet,
and it was here that the threat of ex-
tinguishing tie lights on. the expiration
of. the old contract found its inception.
Launching into az statement of the
committees apparent neglect of all that.
was business-Iike, Mr.. SquireS said ne
doubted that such a resolution would
have any binding effect on the company.
as the charter did not recognize any
resolution unless approved. by both bod
les.
He was here interrupted by the COR
poratfon attorney, who Informed him
that the franchise gfVen4to the gas COM
pany provided for the supplying of light
during such dlfncuIJleSS, OUT ME. OQuiTeS
retorted, ST believe your. are right but
if I am not mistaken it only refers to gas.
The electric lights you know are mostly
in the business district.
.sI merely say this as showing what
might be done" continued Mr.. Squires,
sit is only possibility. We have to pre-
teet our own interests and ask to be
treated fairly Wezare DESTROYS of do
ing the city lighting. sbut we also want
to know where our money Is coming
from
For the remainder Of the session the
time on the floor was divided between
AssembIyman Wheeler and the represent
tatfyes of the gas company, Mr.. Wheel
err mildly intinating that the city. If the
lights were turneds OFFS would have re-
venge in a new company or munich
pal plant. +94.rixs
The vote on the resollti was finally
called, and resulted in ~ victory for the
gas company, AsseulblyGlan, Denny vot-
ing with President DIX and Assemblyman
Whitca1nb against94ts passage.
Seeing this, Assemble Eaan' Craig, called
for a reconsideration. Of the entire pro-
ceeding and on his motion the matter
was referred to the committee to report
again Monday Assemblyman Wheeler
was alone in his vote'sof no.
The matter is now as it was before
and will again be heard at meeting
of both bodies called for Monday after
noon The committee pm gas will meet