The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-11
TERMS ARE SEVERE
STRINGENT CONDITIONS FOR FRAN
CHISE OF IMPERIAL MANU-
Featuring COMPANY
LIKELY TO BE ACCEPTED
In View of Future Developments, II
Is Thought That the Drastic
Stipulations VIII Be
Acceded To.

If the views of the council and the legal
department coincide and the Imperial
Manufacturing company, now engaged
in soliciting the city for franchise 20
engage in the business of selling ana
transmitting heat, light and power, is
agreeable to the conditions imposed, the
statute books of the city will shortly
contain an ordinance, the requirements
of which possibly have never been da-
plicated
The ordinance, which is a reamendsd
draft of an instrument that has been
hanging fire in the council for the past
three months, was submitted to the COM
mittee on streets of the board of alder
men yesterday afternoon by Corporation
Attorney Markham and demands of the
company acceptance of the following:
To pay into the city treasury yearly 5
per cent of its gross earnings.
In case larger tax is imposed ON any
competing company that may see fit to
enter the field, to submit to the inhiction
of the difference without protest
To duplicate in three years wiring and
other equipment in the district now COW
cred and controlled by existing compa-
MES The council may extend the time,
but for no period greater than one year.
In district described connections must
be made for street lighting if desired by
the council and also for private use
when demanded.
Company shall have suitable mean
descent and arc lighting station cont
pleted in one year and also separate
plant for the production of steam for
heating purposes.
TO eXpend in one year the sum of $780,
COO in street equipment, it to be for the
transmission through the streets of the
products manufactured.
The council to have the right every
two years, if 1t so desires, to Tx the
maximum rate of cost of service to con-
1eTc ole Of ,frna iOh inc If chance
is made it shall be within reason.
To suffer the revocation of It's franchise
if transfer of its interests TO other CON-
panies is made without authority from
Shall not absorb competing companies
unless the permission CT the council is
first secured.
TO give a bond in the sum of s5OOo5
to save the city from harm and also
to provide for the return of the streets
to their original condition and surface
when disturbed.
ATTORNEY IS SURPRISED.
The ordinance with its burden of safe
guards was handed to the committee by
Corporation Attorney Markham, but rep
resentatives of the company who were
present asked that the matter be coa-
tinued until they could examine the Or
dinance.
81 have just received copy of that
ordinance fifteen minutes ago" said !.
c.. Michael, the attorney for the COM
pany my inspection of the instrument
was brief, but it contains impositions
that make it a serious question as to
whether any company could do business
under it and live.
One of the odd features of the draft
was the section which says that the
corporations shall not absorb without
authority from the council any compet-
ing company, but Mr.. Markham ex-
planned this by saying that it would pre-
vent the elimination of competition, a
condition of affairs just now very much
in evidence.
In six years the franchises now held
by the Gas and Edison companies will
have expired, and while not going into
details, Mr.. Markham intimated to lie
members of the committee who called
on him that the life of the two might
be conveniently perpetuated if the new
company was to absorb the Old This
precaution, he said, was as Important
as the one which provided that the corn.
pany should not dispose of IT'S Interests
to other corporations without the con.
sent of the council. It was case of
safeguarding the city.
How the members of the two bodies
stand on the imposition of requirements
that the company thinks are rathe. dras-
tic is not known, but it is not thought