The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1904-12-07
PRESENTED PROTEST AGAINST
WATER AND LIGHT ORDINANCE
Council Asked to Postpone Action on
Thirty Year Franchise to Water
Comparatively officials
Salaries Raised.


North Yakima:
Gentlemen: We, your petitioners,
would respectfully submit that we are
residents of the city of North Yakima
Washington, and taxpayers therein. and
desire To protest against the passage
of the proposed extension of the Light
and water franchise to the Northwest
Light & Water Company, for the rea
son that we deem the rates excessive
and unfair in this, that the small con-
sumner is charged higher proportionate
rate than the larger, and that both will
be charged the same meter rate. Again
we deem il unwise, unfair and unj Just
to grant such extension SO far in ad-
vance, inasmuch as conditions are con-
tinually changing and that rates no
doubt will be much cheaper in the near
future, and that it is unfair to class a
city situated as is North Yakima, with
lis easily utilized gravity water supply
and water power with cities less favor
ably situated in this respect.
We therefore earnestly pray your
honorable body to delay at least, the
granting of this franchise. (Signed)
A. w. Coffin, Owen Jones, C. C. Case,
Otter Bros, A. b. Pearson, w. b. Les
lie, H. A. Potter, NJ. Schorn, VIM. Nor
they, G. G. Mitchell. j. j. Seigel. Kohls
Shoe Co.. NJ. b. Miles. +. c. Howard,
Fred L. Janeck, II. L. Young, Walter j.
Reed, n. Hartung Fawcett Bros. Fred
MalouX & Co.. Frank y. Nagler, 7. l..
Lynch, John Mechtel, Tneo. Steiner, f.
B. Moore, |. H. Dills, II. II. Lombard,
M. Mechtel. John Sawbridge, John Dit
ter. John A. Weigel, w. +. Tuesley, A.
j. Shaw, James Greene, w. II. Patter-
son, R. n. Harrison, j. Metzger, F. d.
Clemmer, II. l.. Tucker.
The introduction of the above at the
council meeting Monday night was fol-
lowed by discussion, the final action
being the adoption of motion by Coun-
Gilman Dudley to grant the petition and
lay the matter over for two weeks. The
motion also carried the provision that
the ordinance be finally disposed of one
way or the other at the next meeting of
the council, and it was the declared in
tention to pass the ordinance at that
time unless some serious reason why it
should not be passed is presented.
When the petition was read Mr.. Ar
rowsmith, manager for the Water &
Light company, stated that he desired
the matter to be postponed in accord
ance with the request of the petitioners
provided the committee on the subject
from the council would investigate the
charges made by the citizens that the
rates incorporated in the proposed or
dinance were excessive.
Mayor Fechter spoke at length on
the question, and said that he did not
think the complaint of the petitioners
was warranted in fact; he believed that
many if not nearly all who signed the
above petition were people VINO had not
had the opportunity to judge between
the new method of charges and the old.
The councils committee had decided af-
ter a long and thorough investigation
that the meter method was the fairest,
most just and most equitable of any
system of charges for water and lights
furnished, and that the average charges
would prove to be 35 per cent lower
by the proposed method than by the old
rate. He further stated that the or
dinance passed IA years ago granting
franchise to the old water company
provided that the company should put
in meters when it saw fit, and that the
ordinance granted a year ago carried
the same provision. Therefore, this
clause in the ordinance now before the
council, and which was to come up on
its third and final reading Monday night,
was not in the form of additional priv
ileges. 1t was a fact that meters for
both water and electric lights were in
use all over the United States; they
were used by the cities of Seattle, Ia
coma, Spokane, Portland, as we'll as by
others in the northwest, and investiga-
ton showed that the rates the company
proposed to charge here were lower than
those of any city in the state; not only
were the rates for service less, but the
rental for the meters was less and the
cost of installing them lower. Any
way, ne said, the whole matter was
merely an experiment, and the council
had the right to take away the compa-
ny's franchise or to regulate the rates
by future ordinance if a test showed
that the proposed rates were too high.
Burns & Tucker came up with another
petition for retail license to conduct
a saloon in North Yakima. They are
the parties who have been refused IL
cense time and again by the present
council. The reason why they have been
refused, however, is that they have
heretofore asked for license to open
new place of business on Yakima ave-
nue., and their petitions have always
been met with a re, CONSTANCE by the