The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-03-08
GAS FRANCHISE
WAS KILLED
ACTION ON 1T INDEFINITELY Y
POSTPONED.
The Motion to Postpone Was Made
by Its Main Supporter, MI.
Vaughan When He Saw That the
Amendment Providing for Maxi
mum Price of seventy-Five Cents
Was About to Be Passed-Rule
Providing for Placing of ordi-
nances on the Calendar.

The ordinance awarding a franchise
to the Consumers Gas company was
done to death in select council last
right; that is to say. on "A test vote it.
was seen that the. amendment of Mr..
| ,hittenden's liking the maXimum price
At seventy-five cents per thousand
| could have easily been adopted and
when this fact dawned upon the pro-
moters of the company. who We're
seated in the rear of the council cham
| Der, they directed Mr.. Vaughan to
move to indefinitely postpone action.
Mr.. Vaughan called up the ordinance
| on second reading whcreupon Mr.. Chit
| tenden called up his amendment, action
on which had been postponed at the
last meeting. Mr.. Vaughan moved to
| lay the amendment upon the table.
| The motion was not debatable but Mr.
Vaughan didn't insist upon its being
| put and Mr.. Chttenden spoke upon
the motion as follows:
II hope the gentlemen will not de-
eide to adopt this motion. This ordi-
nance gives the power to open the
! streets of our city but offers no COM
pensation therefor. As intelligent citi-
zens with the interest of this city I'm
| charge we should not vote to pass the
| ordinance as IL now stands. The citl-
Zens should receive compensation for
this. There has been altogether too
much of this giving away franchises
FOR nothing which have afterwards
proved to be worth millions. What in
jury will it do to adopt this resolution?
We all know If this franchise is grant
cd as 1t at present stands, that gas will
drop to 80 cents a thousand and then
either one of the companies will buy
up the other and the amalgamatcd con-
Germ will put the price up to N.25.
WE'RE IN GOOD FAITH.
Mr. Vaughan said the gentlemen he
hind the new company were in good
faith and would agree to furnish a
bond in the sum of $4,000, the same To
revert to the city If they amalGamated
with the present company.
Mr.. Clemons quoted statistics from
the little books which are being cir
culated by the present company show
ing the price Of gas in various cities
in all parts of the country. In such
cities as Rochester, y. V. and Terre
Haute Ind. he said. the net price for
is being furnihscd for 50 cents. There
was no hardship in limiting the price to
- cents, he said, and in doing so the
interests of the city would he taken
care of. The motion to lay Mr.. Chit
tenden's amendment on the table was
defeated by the following vote:
Ncos-Fiun, Evans, Roche Melvin Schneider.
Nsughan.--G
Nays Ross. Costello. MORGAN. CIirlcudcn.
NcTiman, Cosgroyc. Oliver, Schroeder Dlemons.
Boyle, OMallcy, McAudrcw, Wagncr-l3.
This vote was conclusive proof that
the Chittenden amendment would so
through, and Mr.. Vaughan. after a
whispered conversation with i. y,
Casey and Arthur Long, who were in
the rear of the room. moved that fur
ther action on the ordinance he in
definitely postponed. Mr.. Roche
thought that it might he more advis-
able TO try and conciliate. but the
motion 10 postpone was carried. This
means that the ordinance Is dead as
far as the present fiscal year is con-
Cerned.
Mr. Oliver introduced resolution
which will make a considerable change
IN the manner of conducting the bus-
ness of the select branch 1t was
slightly amended by Mr.. Clemons and
as so amended 1t provides for the plac-
ing Of all ordinances on first. second
and third reading calendars. the same
as in the state legislature and in con-
gress. 1t was referred for considcra-
tiOn TO the committee on rules.
40 FUNDS TO PAY WITH.
Controller Howell sent in a commun-
ication returning the ordinance pro-
Niding for a sewer basin on Cayuga
street, There were no incidental ap-
propriations 10 pay for the improve
ment, he said. The ordinance was re-
tcrred TO the estimates committee with
instructions to provide for it in tao
appropriation ordinance for the coming
year.
Mr.. Melvin introduced a resolution
directing the city engineer and the
councimen of the Eighth, Sixth and
Eighteenth ward to report to councils
as 10 whether a forty-foot roadway
with Sidewalks could be Constructed
along the embankment alongside the
Delaware and Hudson tracks from Wy
oming avenue, near the Lackawanna
river, to Bridge street. The resolution
was adopted.
Mr., Chlttenda II offered resolution.
which was adopted. permitting the
erection of a fire alarm box at the
Lackawanna hospital. He also intro
duced an ordinance providing for The
purchase of such a box.
The ordinances providing for the