The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-20

| deems it necessary at this time either
| to extend the present lighting fran
chises, which are to expire Jan. l, 1907,
| on more advantageous terms to the
| consumers and the city,, or to grant
new franchises with certain reserva-
| lions providing for benefits to the con-
sumerS and to the city, other than
those required by the charter, to take
the place of the franchises about to ex-
pire;
And. whereas. it has come to the no
tice of the common council that com
panies in other cities doing a general
lighting business are operating under
franchises reServing greater adj
vantages and benefits to the consum-
erS and the cities granting them than
any of the franchises of the present
companies operating in this city, or of
any of those which have made applica-
| ton for rights;
And whereas, The common council
\ deems it advisable at this time that a
| thorough investigation of franchises for
| public lighting be made, and that the
| result of such investigation be reported
| to the council with suggestions as to
| the policy or plan to be pursued by the
| council in the future, in the granting
| of a new franchise, or for the extern
sion of those now in existence; there
fore be it
Resolved, That a commission for the
purposes hereinbefore set forth be ap-
pointed by the president of the COM
mon council of the city of st. Paul,
consisting of seven members, two to be
appointed from the assembly and two
from the board of aldermen of said city,
and that three be appointed not MEM
bers of said council, and that said COM
mission proceed to make said investi-
cations and report the result to the
common council with any suggestions
that the commission may think proper
to make as to the ACCESSIBILITY Of re-
newing present franchises when they
expire or granting new franchises"
Commissions Work.
The commission has at all times at
| tt mpted to limit the scope of it's work
| to the spirit If not the exact terms Of
| this resolution. 1t has, however, from
| the first construed it's authority liber-
| ally to mean that there WIS intrusted
to it the duty of investigating the ques-
| ton of securing to the city and the
people an efficient lighting service on
| economical terms, and reporting it's
conclusions upon the subject to your
honorable body.
The commission met for the first time
in the month of January of this year,
organized and commenced it's work.
Since that time it has been earnestly
engaged in collecting information bear
| ing upon the important subject before
| it, and in endeavoring to reach a salts
| factory solution of the question. The
| commission now feels that it is in a po-
| sition to advise your honorable body
| as to the course which should be fol-
! lowed to secure to the city and the peo-
| pie the advantages of an adequate and
| economical lighting and heating serv-
! ice, and herewith submits it's report
| upon the subject.
7 No Municipal Plant.
The first question which naturally
presented itself to the commission for
determination was whether the public
! interests would be best served by Sc
curing the necessary lighting and heat
ing service through the medium of a
| municipal plant or through the enter
prises Of private persons or companies
operating under franchises granted by
the city. The commission made some
considerable investigation into the his
tory of municipal gas and electric
plants which have been established in
other. cities. There are objections,
! however, arising out Sof local condi-
lions, which in themselves present most
| serious obstacles to the establishment
| of such a plant. These objections are
as follows:
In the first place the city has no
| I1S1I " c0ldOllSlt d 1l6Illl1S pldnL LUZ
| the purpose of furnishing gas or cleo
| trio light to the city and the general
public without being authorized by it's
| charter or by act of the legislature. The
| only authority which the city has at
| the present time is to establish plant
for the purpose of lighting the public
| buildings, streets and other public
| places. It is possible, of course, that
| the, necessary authority to the city to
| enter upon the business of commercial
| lighting might be obtained either by
| amendment Of the city charter, or by
| act of the legislature, but it is clear
| that at the present time this city has
no authority to establish and maintain
plant for the purpose of enga ging in
/ the business of furnishing gas or cleo
| trlclty to the people of the city. AS
| Stunning, however, that the necessary
authority could ultimately be secured
| for the city to enter into the general
! lighting business, how is it to secure
| the money necessary at this time to es-
| tablish a proper plant? Although the
| commission has made no very careful
estimate of the cost of establishing a
| municipal gas or electric plant of suffi-
cient capacity to supply the entire pub
| lie, it can safely be stated that the
| cost of such a gas plant would be in
| excess of 100000. The city has no
| means at this time of raising the neces-
| sary funds except by the issue and sale
| of its bonds.
No Money for 1t.
| There are two objections to this
method of securing the money. One Is
that the city has not at the present
time the authority to issue bonds for
such purpose, and could not obtain the
| authority except by securing the pas
| sage by the legislature of a general
law giving such authority to cities of
the same class. In view of the re-
strictfons Of the enabling act, under
| which the present charter was adopted
| the city could not secure authority by
| mere amendment of it's charter. Tn
view of the, fact that the legislature
could not pass a statute giving ST. Paul
| authority to issue bonds for this pur-
pose, which would not affect the cities
| OF Minneapolis and Duluth, one or both
or which might be opposed to such a
| law, 1T is apparent that the CITY MIGHT
nave great difficulty in securing the
| necessary legislative authority
AS result of its investigation into
| the question of a municipal plant. the
commission unanimously came to the
| conclusion that it is not for the inter
est OF the city at this time to establish
municipal lighting plant. Particular
~ Is this true with reference to a mu-
nlclpal gas plant, provided that salts
factory arrangements can be made
with existing or other lighting comma
MES to furnish adequate and econono-
zeal service to the city and to the peo-
pie.
Present Franchises.