The age-herald., 1901-08-03
Ordinance Which Seeks to Give Consolidation Perpetual
 Franchises
DOLLAR GAS AGAIN DISCUSSED
The Committees May Make This Rec ommendation In Ordinance Affirm ing Rights of Birmingham Rail-
 way, Light and Power Go.

The judiciary, street railway and light committees of the city council held a meeting last night and discussed the or- dinance reafflrming the consolidation of the street railways, electric lighting and gas companies under the name of the Bir- mingham Railway, Light and Power Com pany, and asking certain considerations. No action will be taken until the com mittees hold another joint session.
 The members of the committees con- slider the companys ordinance entirely too liberal and will have one of their own making drawn up. They believe that the ordinance seeks to grant perpetual fran chises and they favor time limit They also favor requesting certain concessions, among them dollar gas.
 Ask Too Much.
 The consolidation was affirmed by the Gray resolution at a meeting of the council on June 19. The officials of the corporation evidently do not consider this sufficient to protect their rights and had offered at the last meeting of the council an ordinance reaffirming the deal and containing what some members of tho joint committees believe to be extrava- gant requests. The last section of the proposed ordinance follows:
 Bt it further ordained, That said consol- dated company have and enjoy also all the rights, powers. privileges and fran chises which each and all of the said cor porations which have so united and con- solidated, as aforesaid had and possessed, respectively, at the time of their consol- idation.
 This ordinance was under consideration last night. There were present at the meeting Mayor Drennen, Aldermen Alt man, Jones, Wheeler. Kerr. D. R. Cope land Thach, Linnehan. Superintendent Byron of the gas plant of the Consoli- dated Company was a spectator. He stood just outside the railing around the Mayors office and appeared to be busy listener
 Chairman Thach of the Judiciary com mittee, who Is also acting City Attorney, ney, presented the ordinance with the comment that 1t was entirely too liberal He gave 1t as his construction that the company seeks through the ordinance to obtain a perpetual franchise for each of the concerns 1t absorbed. The commit tee was a unit in objecting to the terms of the ordinance.
 Want Time Limit.
 It developed during the discussion that the members of the different committees desired time limit of probably thirty years and perhaps some other conces- sions in return for the rights to be given by the City Council.
 Alderman Jones offered a motion that a clause be inserted in the ordinance plac- ing the time limit at thirty years; that gas be furnished the citizens of Birmingham after January 1, 1902, at one dollar per thousand feet and that transfers be grant ed on all streat railway lines. This mo- ton was, later changed into the form of suggestion to the judiciary committee in drawing up a suitable ordinance.
 Alderman Jones, in discussing the mo- ton, said that Birmingham should cer- tainly have dollar gas, that the conditions here were all in favor of it being fur nished at this price at a good profit. The gas company, when 1t was absorbed had thirty year contract with the city, the city reserving the right to revise the rates every ten years and regulate 1t &C., cording to the rates in other cities of like size and population. The contract was made in 1891 and the city had right to revise the rate schedule last May. Some difference of opinion developed as to whether the contract means that the rate can be fixed at the average rate in vogue in other cities or at the lowest rate. MT.
 
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