The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-17
Municipal Lighting.

The st. Paul municipal franchise COM
mission has concluded that it is better for
the city to make a fair and reasonable
deal with the st. Paul Gaslight company
than to undertake to put in a municipal
lighting plant. In this connection, IT
proposes that the city Of st. Paul, before
granting the new franchise to the gas
company of that city, shall obtain salts
factory concessions as to prices, both to
consumers and to the city. The gaslight
company, on It's side, has proposed re-
duction of the price Of gas from $3.50 to
$1.15 Jan. l, 1904; s1.10 Jan. l, 1905; SlO5
a year later, and 81 on Jan. 1, 1907 and
thereafter. This is to be the uniform
price, both for private consumers and for
the city. A penalty Of 20 per cent is, to
be added for non-payment of gas bills
within stipulated time. The city is to
have the right to exact a standard OF
quality of gas supplied and the company
is to pay the city per cent of its gross
earnings annually For this concession
the company wants franchise for twenty
FIVE years. .." --fs
In Minneapolis we are paying $1.40 a
thousand for gas to private consumers.
with reduction of 20 cents a thousand If
paid within ten days after the bill Is rem
dered making the price practically s1.2O
a thousand We have been promised by
the gaslight company for some time that
in the near future it would furnish 81
gas, and doubtless if 81 gas can be fur
liished in st. Paul, now or four years from
now, it can be furnished here. The city
is buying it's gas at that figure at present,
and we are advised that the consumption
in this city is increasing so rapidly among
private consumers that the company can
not keep up with the orders for connec-
lions with their mains. This is a graft
flying condition of things. 1t is crafty
ing to know that the, company is so pros
porous and the public is SO we'll able tc
buy gas.
The facts would seem to argue for the
early realization of the one-dollar gas
promise. .s-2z.+s - = ...-.s ,-
Another matter of Importance in con:
nection with public lighting is the pend
ing application of the General Electric
company for new municipal franchise
This; matter is in the hands Of commit
tee of the council. Thus far no definite
Understanding appears to have beer
reached, but there ought not to be an!
mistake made, in these more enlightened
days Of municipal administration, abou
securing fair and reasonable terms for thu
valuable privileges conferred by a fran
chise Of this character. The General Elec
trio company is a prosperous institution
the result Of the consolidation Of prac
tically all the public electric lighting ant
power companies Of the city. We under
stand that it has expressed a willingness
to pay a reasonable gross earnings tax
but, in the same connection, ample pro
visions should be made for the regulation
of price of both public and private light
ing service. So far as the street lightin
is concerned, we are inclined to believ
that Minneapolis is now paying a grea
deal more money than the service is worth
certainly more than it costs in many othe
cities, and that we should be able to i'm
prove our service in this respect withou
increasing the cost-as has been pro
posed. 80 s.,'.--