The Tucson citizen., 1902-07-14
CITY FRANCHISES.

The Tucson Post, our able and ene"-
getic Republican contemporary, is evil
Cently indisposed to assume that every
corporation or comrany seeking a
franchise is necessarily actuated by
desire to benefit the public. We are
not surprised at the skepticism of the
Post and feel disposed to congratulate
ii on calling attention to a matter that
is of much more than temporary public
interest Referring to the application
now pending before the city council for
n franchise for another lighting plant
company. the Post says:
The city council is evidently of the
opinion that the people should be
gwen the benefit of any legitimate
competition, as there seems to be a
sentiment in that body in favor Of
granting the franchise if the new COM
pany will come in and give proper
assurance of the honesty of their intail-
tions and disavow any motive to use
the law as a club to swing the old
company into line on any other propo-
sition. Tucson is not large city, and
could hardly support two electric
light plants and a gas plant also. Con-
solidation would probably be the result
in time. and the people in the end
would be no better off for the competi-
ton.
There seems to be disposition on
the part of some people to believe that
80
right, and not a special privilege.
Whenever franchise is granted, some
thing is given away something Is ta-
ken from the public. and a few people
are made the beneficiaries. Franchises
ought not to be favors to the few, and
ought only to be granted where they
are of benefit to the many. When
franchises are sought for purposes OF
speculation, spite or to enable their
owners to hold club over rivals, the
people should hesitate long and seri-
ously before granting them. We are
not prepared to say that the gentle
men who are now seeking a lighting
franchise from the city are not actuated
by proper motives, but it is the duty
Of the agents of the people to make
sure that public interests are properly
safeguarded before they assent to the
proposition.
1t is the universal experience of COM
munities that commit themselves reck-
]essIy to every proposal tending 10
competition, that the public, that is to
say the consumer gets the worst of It
IN the end. 1t is plain to any person
possessed of ordinary common sense
that there is not business enough for
Two thoroughly equipped and up-to-date
lighting plants in this city. If two are
established. instead of one, the people
VIII! have to pay interest on the cost of
Two plants instead of one. For. make
no mistake, it is the people who will
nave to pay in the end. Either CONF
bine will be formed between the two IN
advance prices to basis that will nav
interest on both plants, or one will he
absorbed by the other, and the con-
sumner will have to pay for the enter
prise by increased rates for service
competition is fine, resonant word
with very potential meaning, but there
is also such thing as common fair
ness and common honesty.
The present owners of the Tucson
Electric Power and Light companv
have made heavy investment in good
faith. They are doing as rapidly "a
possible everything they promised 10
do. They have made an Investment
of upwards OF a hundred thousand
dollars, and when their plants are com-
pleted Tucson will have the most nm.
fo-date lighting system in the south
west. The contract exacted bv tho
city-shrewdly and honestly exacted
In the public interest-calls for an ax-
penditure. as we are reliably informed
OF from $4,000 to $4,000 in excess Of
the entire revenue earned by the COM
pany from the city during the life of
the contract, regardless of the cost Of
operation during the same period. The
company is proceeding in good faith.