The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-22

The Montgomery City Council last night
 awarded the contract for lighting the city
 to the Montgomery Light and Power Company for term of ten years. The
 company is to furnish not less than 225
 arc lights at $51 each q year and not
 less than 250 incandescent lights at 70
 cents per month each.l
 The contract was not awarded until
 after much discussion by the Couhcil m
 which w. r. Vandiver, President Of the
 light company, by invitation, participat- cd. Tha opponents of the light com
 panly bid finally reached an agreement
 with the friends of the bid through an
 amendment to the committee report pre- scented by Alderman Mcintyre. This
 amer dment binds the light company not
 to raise the present charges to commer-
 cial consumers greater than the amount
 already fixed in the contract between the
 city and the light company. This amend
 ment harmonized the contending forces
 and the report of the committee. which
 directed the Mayor to contract with the light company. was unanimously adopted, The light contract was first presented to the Council by Aldesman Huds ,n, chairman of the joint Committee on Lights and Electric Patrol, majority of which recommended that the contract be awarded to the Montgomery Light and Power Company for ten years and direct ing the Mayor to enter ineo a contract with the company. This report was signed by Aldermen w. M. Hudson James Toole. J. '. cheney ana W. iN presenting the report to the Council All derman Hudson said that President Van diver of the light company had given the committee assurance that rates for com
 mercial lights would not be increased.
 MT. Gunter in Minority.
 Alderman Gunter submitted minority
 report. He said he reluctantly opposed
 the majority of the committee. He was
 of the opinion, he said. that the com pany which secured the contract for lighting the city should be required to
 submit uniform rates for all classes of consumers of electricity. He said he con ceived it to be the duty of the Council to care for the individual interests of the citizens in the matter of public utilities. For this reason he proposed to offer as a substitute recommendation that all Dids be rejected and that new bids he asked for with the addition that bidders be re- quired to submit uniform rates to con- sumers as well as for lighting the city. Alderman May agreed with Alderman Gunter and said he heartily seconded the minority report. Five years ago he said the Council had entered into act to pay $74 a year for each light Tor hve year contract. The Montgomery Light and Power Company at that time wanted to make a ten year contract and the Council would not agree to il. The city
 nod had a bid for $51 light and the
 Aldernan called attention to the great savine to the city by reason of the re- jection of the ten year contract propo- sition. For himself, he said ne was op- posed to q ten year contract but he was willing to submit to it if the people were insured of equally low rates as would | be made for the city lighting.
 Alderman Rushton declared that the city could not furnish the lights with it's own plant for s5i year He wanted the minority to make a definite proposition as he only desired to do the best thing