The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-04
NO CHEAP GAS.
City Council Plays With the
New Franchises.
Gas Trust May Look ON and
Smile.
VOTE WAS VERY CLOSE.
Were ssReferred Back" to Ways
and Means Committee.
Topeka May Get 80 Cent Lights
Some Day.
VOTE WAS VERY CLOSE.

ably right when he accused the council
men last night of playing horse with
the two proposed natural gas franchises.
Neither ordinance was able to get
enough votes for its passage. and both
were finally referred back to the ways
and means committee for further con-
sideration.
1t is necessary to secure a majority Of
the council to pass an ordinance. A
majority is seven votes. So far neither
ordinance has been able to get more
than six votes. Last night the vote on
the Continental Gas & Oil companys
franchise was as follows:
For-Blossom, Griley, Snyder, Wolf,
Weber, Tincher-6.
Against-Kutz. Neil, Nellis, Sinner,
Swendson-5.
After this ordinance had been sent
back to the committee, it was an
nounced that the ways and means COM
mittee had held a meeting and had re-
ferred back the Rohrer ordinance with
the recommendation that it be passed.
After some discussion the vote was
taken on the adoption of this report
with the following result:
| For-Kutz, Neil, Nellis, Sinner
Swendson-5.
Against-Blossom. Griley, Snyder,
w OIL, weber, l1nCn6I-O.
There was nothing then to do but re-
| fer the Rohrer ordinance back to the
committee, and this was done.
1t seems uncertain when these two
ordinances will be reSurrected, but there
are indications that it will require con-
siderable time and hard work to get the
council to agree upon any plan of ac-
4 ton. There seems to be some strong in
4 fluence which is being used to hold the
rival factions in line. Some claim it is
Mi
that this is the way which the old man
ufactured gas company has taken to
prevent the passage of an ordinance
which will give the city cheap gas. This
is just what the gas company doesn I
want.
AS far as can be discerned with the
make deye, there is not any difference be
tween the proposition made in the two
I franchises. Either one is good enough.
Mr. Rohrer stated last night that his
hackers were willing to have included
all the provisions of the Continental
franchise, including the As and 80 cent
rates The chief characteristic OF the
situation was stated very plainly iast
night by Mayor Bergundthal, who SAID;
when two companies come in mere
in good faith, it don't seem 10 me that
| it is exactly fair to use one company
as lever with which to force the other
company to make better terms 1t seems
to me we should take the propositions
as we find them, and act accordingly
/ A NJ Harvey made some remarks last
night which will be of interest to those
who think that 1t is impossible to sup
ply gas in Topeka at As and 80 cents a
thousand Major Harvey is attorney for
the Continental company, and said;
Just to show the council that we can
sell gas at the rates we propose l VIII
simply state that the city of parks
which is one-fourth the size of Topeka,
used last year 5S,697 900 cubic feet OF
| gas Suppose that in Topeka we use
nNf-
bic feet. That would mean, at our
! rates, gross income of about $320,OOO-
Allow half of that for expenses, and we
could still pay 10 per cent interest on
an investment of $16,0O0 $1,000. And every
| one knows that $16,000.000 is vastly
! greater than the investment Will be.
In Toledo, Ohio, to which gas is
piped $50 miles, the rate is 30 cents per
O00 according to the letter OF Mayor
Sam M. Jones, which / hold here in my
I'm Cleveland, Ohio, to which gas is
piped 200 miles, with no other towns on
the line, gas is sold for 80 cents. and
the mayor in writing to me says that
ol1r rate of 30 and As cents Is too high
I'm Columbus, gas is piped from 80
to so miles, and the rate is 20 cents
! 1t is not often that the city council
hears a corporation pleading to be al
lowed to make a low rate on com
| modify and it certainly seems as though
the council could not afford to sacrifice
the interests of the city when by pass
ing one of the two franchises. the aftiic-
ton of gas at $1.65 a thousand VIII pc
a thing of the past.
When the franchise of the Continental
company was under consideration, there
was considerable opposition TO section
9 providing for payment of gas bills IN
advance and on motion of Councilman
Nellis. it was entirely stricken out. The
company did not seriously oppose this
action. The companys plan was to
force bad pay consumers to deposit in
advanced an estimated sum of their
monthly gas bill. 1t was thought by the
council that a rule of this sort should
not be embodied in the franchise.
MIR. Rohrer announced to the council,
that he was not asking for the fran
chise himself, having dissolved his as
sociation with n. B. Burge. He agreed
to reduce the rates to the prices quoted
bv the Continental, agreed to light and
heat the city hall and Auditorium free,
and agreed. to put up a $1,000 bond Tor
the completion of his contract There
are no material points of difference be-
tween the two franchises
FIFTH WARD PROTEST.
]. c. Sinner signed and presented
with dozen others a petition for relic
from flood water in Walnut Grove. The
petition states that the "a inch tiling
J at Kansas avenue and Eighteenth Is
too small
people to have the street railway loop
at the fair grounds removed They
think the track interferes with the pass
age of water.
BLAMES THE STATE.
The committee on waterworks report
ed on the damage done to the water
works. They say that the washing out
of the sewer main was due to the poor
judgment of the state board of chari-
ties in removing all timber between the
uater nine and the bank of the river"