The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-05-02
APPROVE ACTION.
Board of Trade Endorse Grant
ing Railway Franchise.
Would Have 1t Exclusive, However,
Only as to Street Railway Privi-
Ieges, and not as to Light
and Heat

The board of trade meeting was
we'll attended Monday morning by
directors, but other members failed to
appear, though invitations had been
sent them.
The committee on manufactures re-
ported that the matter of arranging
for the manufacture of the Tidland
road grader in this city had fallen
through, owing to the fact that a
proposition made to Minneapolis par
ties, had been accepted.
R. D. Hubbard was elected mem
Der of the board of directors.
DR.. J W. Andrews introduced set
of resolutions commencing the action
taken in granting a franchise for
street railway, together with preamble
setting forth the urgent need of rapid
transit for the city. The wording Of
discussion. Some thought the resolu-
tions did not go quite far enough in
some directions, and too far in
Others, and that the matter of twenty
lyear lighting franchise was not clearly
stated. After a general understand
ing was reached as to what was want
|; ed, the resolutions were amended and
J as adopted read as follows:
, We, the Mankato board of trade,
recognize the fact that Mankato can
not grow and develop as the city
should until some conditions are
changed: First: There is a present
and growing demand for greater
number of small modern residences
3 for rent or for sale, or cheaper land
{ easily accessible to build such resi-
dences upon. This want cannot be met
until there are facilities for rapid
l transit to and from the suburbs of the
8 city. Real estate in that part of the
city easily accessible to the depOts,
postoff1ce and places of business, thai
is that portion of the city lying be-
9 tween Rock street on the north, Byron
= street on the south, the river on the
q west, and the hills on the east, is too
scarce and expensive to be utilized
for modern homes at reasonable prices
: commercial men, of whom we hav,
change, will motive in the outlying
yet beautiful, parts of the city fa
laway from depots and business house
from such places are better than a
n present There is but one remed.
and that is an electric street railwa,
or some other means of rapid transit
f Not only this board of trade but on
jcitizens generally have long sine
recognized this fact In consequence
J. efforts have been put forth, especiall
= by the board of trade, to secure TO
). the city the much needed electric rail
> way.
The late charter commission mad
II up in part at least, of leading citi
10 zens and taxpayers, (among whom wer
N Judge Severance, ex-Mayor Currier
- Col. Widell, W. E. Young and others
unanimously adopted provision au
thorizing the city council to enter int
n ten years contract, at REASONABLE
is price, with any company or corpora
- tion to light the city of MankatO, pre-
- vided that in connection with sue
lighting the said company would hull
and operate an electric railway duh
ing the life of said contract Other
wise the charter provides that tn
lighting contract shall not extern
8 beyond five years.
No long since mass meeting of th
citizens of Mankato was held in tn
,,, hall, and unanimous sentiment e.
- pressed in behalf of the So called Co
+ Inns proposition for the combine
er street lighting and the electric raj
of road.
A few weeks since lighting e,
~ pert was employed and paid by til
g, city of Mankato to look over the CITY
90 and estimate the cost of putting in
* municipal lighting plant. This san
"a expert has twice made the statemel
~ that purely as business propositic
the city can better afford to pay IL
to it's city lighting at rates asked by I'll
IS. Collins proposition that to put in i
"A Town plant: That is arc lights at 5
per light and incandescents at $2l p
"a. light.
cpl We are opposed to the city of Ma
ad kato entering into twenty ye
&c lighting contract with any compan
or corporation upon any terms or CO
'er ditions whatever, but we are reliab
nut informed by some of the leading
torneys of Mankato that the franchi
recently granted by our city council
the Mankato & st. Peter Railroad a.
Lighting company, contracts WI
that company, for ten year city llgf
ing and no more. Therefore:
lse Resolved, By the board of trade
the city of Mankato, that we reg
that antiquities occur in the fra
chise given to the Mankato q
for Peter Railway & Lighting compa
900 to the length sof time of exclusive fra
q, chise for city lighting, a nd as
exclusive Ri ht conferred by it
on heating; that we deprecate any Ell
af- being made TO defeat propositi
MS which means so much for the co
Iii mercial welfare of Mankato.
Resolved, That acting upon
LED premises which they did we bell
the our city council was entirely Justll
mi ing granting said franchise to said &C
r. pany that we recommend that all
antiquities and clerical errors in
mo- franchise which might in later ye
Tiff. lead to a misunderstanding OF
suit spirit of the franchise, be speec
= q corrected and our citizens give ev
= " reasonable encouragement and ass
ctor ance toward the early consummat
tiff of the Collins proposition.
rain John Klein called the attention
own the board to the fact that the pile
lght stone which the board had erected