The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-12-20
BIDS ARE ACCEPTED
ASSEMBLY AWARDS LIGHTING CON.
TRACTS TO AMERICAN DEvEL.
OPMENT AND GAS COMPANIES
PRACTICALLY NO OPPOSITION
Gas to BE Furnished at 81 Per Thou
sand Feet-Cleveland Firms
Representative Protests
I'm vain.

The American Development company
and the St. Paul Gas Lighting company
will do st. Paul street lighting for the
next twelve months. The controversy
which has been on since the bids were
opened some two weeks ago was set
tied last night, when the assembly, with
only three of the members, Messrs.
Wheeler, Dix and Haas dissenting, vot-
ed to place the contract with the par
ties who had bid as the specifications
required. The mayors official signature
alone remains, and it is expected that
will be given without hesitation. ess
Except remarks from Assemblyman
Haas, who wanted the bid of the Amer
lean Development company rejected on
general principles debate was principally
confined to Assemb}ynnan Wheeler who
objected strongly to all the bids Gas
and electric light prices, he contended,
We're too high, while the gasoline, in his
opinion, had the dual fault Of being ex-
eessiye and. at the same time<in conflict
with charter provisions as to legality
sHe@ argued long and exhaustively, even
to the extent of sputting numerous cues.
lions to- President Lathrop, of the gas
company, but was compelled to accept
defeat in each instance. ~. 2.
Another to add his voice to the petition
for. a. readvertisenlent Of this contract
was Mr.. Charles Patterson, of the CleVe-
land company He reiterated his former
proposition, and also added a statement
to the effect that when he had been in
the city previous to the opening of the
bids some two months ago, in fact, he
found it almost impossible to gain: any
information as to requirements. A let
ter sent from his Office, he said, had
failed to bring copies of former specifi-
cations.
Benson Makes an Explanation.
The sudden change on the part Of sew
eral who before had been counted in the
opposition, was made apparent on the
opening of the session. Here Assembly
man Benson before an ardent supporter
of the Cleveland opposition, advised the
acceptance of the American Development
company's bid and announced llds change
Of heart by saying that after due DELHI
eratfon and examination he was positive
that the city would be making mistake
If 1t undertook experiments at this date
Winter was on, he held, and it would be
several months before a new company
could get its plant in readiness. In order
|. to be prepared for next year, he advised
sufficiently large to purchase iron posts
on which lamps could be placed.
Roll call was taken separately on each
Of tho three contracts and only in the
gasoline contract was there any marked
division. Here Messrs. Wheeler, Haas
and DIX voted in the negative permitting
the approval by bare two-thirds major
lily only. On the gas and electric con-
tracts Assemblyman Wheeler was alone
in the negative.
According to the terms Of the three con-
tracts the city will pay $29 and SIC for
gasoline lamps. $23 and $29 far gas lamps,
and $50 and $40 for electric lamps. Gas
Is furnished the city at 81 per thousand
feet. The contract involves an expendi-
.ture Of about $1s3,0eO, $4,000 of which is
for gasoline lighting.
j. In the discussion over the gas bid,
dollar gas for the city at large furnished
an occasion for the, putting of some
pointed questions, to President Lathrop,
of the gas company. as to why St. Paul
consumers should not be enjoying the
same. rate as now exists in Minneapolis,
$1.2o a thousand feet This MIR: Lathrop
answered by. Informing the members that
as soon as St. Paul consumed as much
as. the Mil City it would obtain the same
rate.