The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-06-13
RISES FROM DEAD
Dollar Gas Company Wants
Franchise Revived.
Company Forfeited the 1000
Guarantee to Build.
OBSTACLES REMOVED.
Claims Failure Was Caused by
Suit Over Patents.
Ask That They Be Given Year
to Build Plant.
OBSTACLES REMOVED.

There has been a resurrection in To-
pelxa. The Federal Light Heat & Power
company. which on April 2 1902. was
declared by the city council TO be Of
ficially dead and its $1,000 forfeit ap-
propriated, has come to life and viii at
the next council meeting ask the city
to grant it an extension of one year
in which to build its plant.
If the extension in franchise is grant
ed, the company agrees to build its
plant and furnish Topeka with gas and
electric lights at about two-thirds OF
the present prices.
| The company claims it will spend ap-
proximately $1,OO0,000 in building lis
/ the 81 600 which it has forfeited. All It
J wants is another years time in which
/ to comply with the terms Of the fran
! chise.
NJ. snattinger of this city is secretary
and treasurer OF the company, and John
I Kleinhans is vice president. These OF
/ hclais are not largely interested fnan-
clalIy IN the enterprise, but are dong
( ali they can to induce the councilmeri
/ to grant another years time on the fran
! chise. Mr.. Snattinger is now out of the
/ city and Mr.. Kleinhans was seen by =
| reporter for the State Journal today
/ lie said in response to questions:
The reason that the Federal COM
/ pany did not carry out the terms Of the
4
I der which it is proposed to manufacture
gas were contested in the courts, and
we could not get capitalists to invest
| in the enterprise while the suits were
| pending. The suits have just recently
been decided in favor Of Mr.. Faulkner,
and he is very anxious now to redeem
his promises to the people of Topeka,
and build the plant.
If the council viii grant US another
years time, 1 am certain that within
a rev days we will have representatives
here of wealthy investors who stand
ready TO put up the money for the plant
as soon as their engineers report favor
ably on the situation. Mr.. Faulkner IS
a man who can control a great deal of
capital and all he wants is q chance
TO prove that he means business.
Mr.. Faulkner has dealt fairly with
the city He does not ask for anything
unreasonable. He is willing to lose the
$1,000. It is not his fault that he lost
1t. The question with the people of To-
peka should be simply this: do we want
cheap gas and electric lights? believe
that we want those things and while
L am not getting a cent for my services,
1 expect to do all 1 can to help Mr..
Faulkner get another chance to build
this gas and electric light plant
ORDINANCE IS STRINGENT
The ordinance which was granted to
the Federal Light, Heat and Power
company is very strict. It is one of the
most stringent franchise ordinances
ever passed by the city. Some of its
provisions are as follows:
Rates for gas, first two years. 81 per
900; next three years, 95 cents per
1000; afterwards, 80 cents per 1,000 for
/ either Illuminating or ranges; for use
| by the city, IS cents per 1000; for heat
| ing purposes. furnaces or engines, so
| cents per 1000
Rates for. electric lights, 9-1O cent for
16 candle power light per hour; ~
cents for 81 candle power light per hour;
4 SO per month for all night arc lights;
/ 81 50 per month for 1890 a M arc lights
/ ie cd
I riVing more than 6 per cent net revenue
\ a year. All over that sum goes into the
/ city treasury. Before the income
! reaches 6 per cent net the company
must pay the city per celst on its gross
earnings for 4 years, per cent for FIVE
/ years and per cent from that time un-
! til the net revenue equals 6 per cent or
/ the franchise expires at the end of 20
! years
The company must spend s1OO, 600 in
| Topeka within "a months.
The city may buy the plant at the
The company must file a detailed re.
port of receipts and expenditures with
| the city clerk twice each year
In comparison with the lax and Slip
! shOd Vinewood Park ordinance which
/ has just been granted by the council.
| the Federal ordinance seems savage and
] brutal
William ]. Faulkner is the name of
/ the Chicago man who was granted tho
I franchise for the Federal Light. Heat &
! Power company. He has a process for
manufacturing what is commonly
known as water gas" It costs very
little to manufacture. and the heat
which manufactures the gas is also
4 utilized to make steam and drive cleo
tric dynamos. The gas and electrical
industries are therefore combined with
/ out any additional expense.
Mr.. Faulkner was very successful in
securing the support of Topeka people,
/ and had a thorough canvass made of
! the city to secure customers for his pro
/ posed industry. He was, on October 2,
1899, granted a franchise for 20 years.
! The franchise ordinance was approved
| on October 30. but on December was
| amended in a few particulars. On De-
! cember 2S Mr.. Faulkner fled his ac-
ceptance, and deposited 81 O9O Later on,
however. because of certain technical
( ties which had arisen. the council re-
! passed the ordinance. This was done on
/ April 2 1900. The ordinance was sign
ed on April 2, and published in the Off
eial city paper. the State Journal. on
June Il.
Nothing was heard from Mr. Faux
ner for some time. and at last it be-
! came generally believed that his new
| process for manufacturing the gas was
not a success, and that he had failed to
find financial backing
On April p. 1902. the council by a. vote
transferred the ST. 600 cash bond which
the company had given for the fulfill
ment of the terms of its franchise to
the general revenue fund. and it has
been used to pay current expenses
The company does not propose to DUt
up another cash bond but they want
the city to give another years time in
which to fulfil the terms of the fran
chise. It is probable that to do this it
will be necessary to pass a new ordi-
nance, as some of the provisions in the
old ordinance could not be easily recon-
eiled with a time-extension.