The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-11-25
STREET LIGHTING.
How Matters STANDARDIZED Coun-
Gil Meeting to be Held.

The city council at a meeting
Friday night passed the Porter
street lighting ordinance over the
mayors veto. The vote was. ayes,
Rose, Porter. Cameron. Taylor,
Hodes, Henkle;; nays, Crees; alb
sent, Avery, Colbert The ordin.
ance as passed over the Sve'o pro-
vides for the city to pay the Elec-
trio Light Company $6 for arcs and
$I.41 for incandescents for a per-
iod of 10 years. The Jones bid
proposed for the city to pay SIS for
arcs and $I.35 for incandescents.
It has since turned out, however,
| that the counci1men, at the time
they turned down the veto, had a
private agreement with Mr.. Porter's
light company to the effect that the
latter was to come down to the
Jones bid Of S. for arcs and
| $I.35 for incandescents. It seems
that shortly before the meeting.
Mr.. Porter went to the councilmen
and proposed to meet the Jones
figures, provided the councilmen
would assure him that he should
have the contract. This a number of
the counci1men pledged themselves
to do. and Mr.. Porter in turn p1edg-
ed them that he would supply lights
at the Jones prices. After advis-
ing with City Attorney Ya'es as to
the legal status of things. the coun-
cilmen say they believed that by.
passing the IS ordinance over the
veto, a contract could be signed
providing for IS arcs. With that
understanding. they passed the
Porter ordinance over the veto.
and shortly thereafter adjourned.
After adjournment. however, a
number of the councilmen. learning
that only contract providing for
IS arcs and $I.41 incandescents
would be legally signed by the po
lice judge. in short having learned
that under the ordinance passed,
they could not without further
legislation legally make a contract
for the lights at the lower figures,
they privately instructed the police
judge not to sign the contract,
Accordingly, at the request of the
council special council meeting
has been called for next Friday
night, at which time action is to be
taken by which the ordinance
passed over the veto can be chang
ed to conform to the objections OF
the veto, and also to straighten out
the tangle, as it now>exists.
There is further explanation of
the action of the council in turning
down the veto. When the agree
ment was reached between the
councilmen and Mr.. Porter that the
latter was to have the contract if he
would meet the Jones figures, some
of the councilmen wanted to atonce
amend the ordinance so as to incorpo-
rate the Jones figures, but Mr. Porter
made objection to this plan, because
it might give a chance for another
opening of matters, a possible
chance for another bid and possibly
another veto On being assured
that the thing could be legalized
afterward, they all voted for the
ordinance to pass over the veto. ex-
cept Councilman Crees, who insis-
that the Jones figures should be in
serted before the ordinance be
passed.
There is another element in the
i situation that is not uninteresting
/ Some of the councilmen say the
Jones people want to make lower
/, bid. But the situation is such that
the consideration of lower bid is
almost impossible. Some of the
councilmen are pledged to accep
tance Of the Porter contract at the
former Jones figures, and are not in
position to consider another bid.
Furthermore, the action taken has
been such thst even a veto could
not provide for the admission of a
flower bid. This is why: AS the
matter now stands the only con
tract that the police JUDGES author
lied to sign provides that the city
shall pay six dollars for arcs and
$I.4I for incandescents. The only
wny to change the present ordinan-
ce is by the adoption of another or
dinance, either amending the pres
ent one by substitution of IS arcs
and $I.35 incandescents, or by
repeating the present ordinance and
passage of another one providing for
| the lower rates. IF the plan of ad-
opting an amendment merely chan
ging the figures should befollowed,
and it should be desired to veto the
new act for the admission of lower
| bid, the effort of the veto would be