Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1902-07-10
LIGHT ORDINANCE
Committee Returns jamestown EleC-
trio Light COmpany's Ordinance
to Council.
1t is Read Informally, Discussed at
Some Length and Again
Referred.
Some Opposition to Ordinance Being
Passed in Much of a
Hurry.

At the city council meeting Mon
day evening the electric light COM
mittee returned the ordinance giving
a franchise to the jamestown Electric
Light Company. The ordinance pass
ed its first reading some time ago.
The ordinance provides for maximum
charge of l5 cents per 1000 watts and
$3.50 for arc lights of 1000 candle
power where not more than - are
used and Sc when 20 are used. The
company agrees to remodel the plant
and pump water for $3.50 per 100000
gallons for domestic purposes and for
fire protection free.
On motion Of Alderman KurtZ the
ordinance was given an informal read
ing.
Alderman Kurtz thought the ordin-
ance should state what improvements
were to be made in the light plant
and a day service should also be guar
anteed as there were now 10 gasoline
engines in use in the city and which
would be displaced by the use Of
electricity.
Alderman Chenery failed to see
where it was necessary to pass an
ordinance granting a franchise to the
company at this time. The present
franchise runs four or five years more
and besides, this is hardly the time
for granting a new one. The water
plant is not completed and the city is
not getting much more by the terms
Of the new ordinance than by the old.
Mr.. Chenery thought the council had
no right to railroad the ordinance
through.
MI. Chapman thought the city
should know who was going to do the
pumping at once and it seemed to him
that the city should get contract of
some kind right away. An expensive
standpipe and other water works inn
provements were to be put in and the
city should have the matter definitely
settled
Alderman Chenery said the city
needed contract to pump water but
it was not necessary to grant new
ordinance to the electric light COM
pany.
Alderman Chapman said there was
no profit in it FOR the company to do
the pumping at $3.50 per 100000 gal
Ions. There was nothing in it for the
company to do pumping alone.
Alderman Kurtz said he never
knew of anyone doing something for
nothing unless he made up for it in
some other way.
Alderman Klaus stated that it
seemed to him that the committee
had put in everything in the ordi-
nance that the council or anyone
else had suggested. He thought it
would be all right to insert the clause
relating to the probable improve
ments but said it would be too much
to expect that day service would be
guaranteed, as it was very doubtful if
there would be enough patronage.
Alderman Allen was in favor Of
granting the franchise. He believed
that the company should have a
chance to make Improvements.
Alderman Squirting was Of the opin-
ion that the section in which it was
provided that the company would ex-
tend the service where needed covered
the matter of day service. If there
was enough patronage the company
would undoubtedly put in such SER
vice.
John Canham Of the jamestown
Electric Light Co., was present and
said he had talked with all who would
be likely to use the day service and
found but one man who would agree
to use it. He said he would put in
1000 light machine and an eighty
horse power engine and other improve
ments, the total cost to be 50, 900. He
said there was nothing to be made out
of the pumping, it being losing pro-
position.
The ordinance was referred to the
light committee and will come up for
consideration Thursday evening. The
committee will receive and consider
all suggestions made in writing re-
garding the ordinance.
A petition regarding the grading of
a road in the southern portion of the