The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-10-08
Preliminary Steps to Give Edi-
SON Company a Franchise.
Several Sections of Ordinance
Will Be Redrafted.
MIR. ROBINSON'S TALK.
His Lighting Rate Was Increas-
ed 800 Per Cent.
Nr. MulVAne Explains What
Company Wants.

Every member of the city council
and Jonathan Thomas, T. F. Carver
and ]. W. Robinson. representing the
Commercial club. attended a confer
ence Friday night in the council cham
Der on the proposed Edison Electric
Illuminating company franchise.
The result of the meeting was the
passage of motions for the appoint
ment of three subcommittee to in
vestigate, redraft and revise certain
portions of the proposed ordinance
One committee will have charge of the
section which provides rates; another
will look after some of the legal for
malities of the ordnance and a third
will be delegated to suggest new sec
tons and make changes in old ones.
If these committees do their work
properly, the ordinance will get
committees will be appointed by S. A.
Swendson and William Green, chair
men respectively of the streets and
walks and ways and means committees
of the council.
As is usual in such proposed fran
chise ordinances, the great fight will
be over the question of rates. Pretty
nearly everything else which the city
wants will be conceded without dis
pute. This is just the way it went with
the gas franchise. The state law is so
drawn that the council can't interfere
with the rights" of corporations
much. The corporations make great
show of "conceding'' but when it
comes to the vital questions of rates,
they stand pat, and the council event
ually gives in. 1t is likely to be the
same way in the case of the Edison
franchise.
1--WE would be glad to have full
discussion here tonight said Joab
MuIvane, representing the Edison
company. I'VE would like to explain
to the council the company's attitude
on various points. We want only
what is fair and right
Mr.. MuIvane said the company
would prefer to have the council
adopt the kilowatt system of charging,
instead of the candle. power plan as
proposed in the ordinance.
It am told you have all kinds of
rates" said Col. Hughes. How about
that?"
C. R. Maunsell, superintendent of
the Edison plant, answered this ques-
ton. He said:
There is not a company in the coun-
try that does not have various rates. |
1t is one of the greatest problems of
electrical engineering how to make a
just and equitable rate for consumers
There is what we call the nat rate.
Then there is the uniform meter rate.
Next a meter rate on consumption
which is a system of discountlng DIS !
Next a meter rate with a minimum
guarantee. Next a different rate for
the different lengths of time the light
is used. This is the New York plan |
Next there is a meter rate varied by
maximum demand. This is the Chi
cago and Boston plan. Next a meter
rate according to the time OF day
when the electricity is used. If you
gentlemen of the council get into the
rate proposition, you get into very
deep water. 1 want to say Woro
about Lincoln. I see the mayor says
thew have a 6 cent rate in Lincoln,
and we ought to have the same here
Lincoln charges first a fee of 81
month for each customer. This is TO
pay for the meter. II aiso 5,e ena ays'er
lamp installed. This is called the get
ready charge. Then it charges nat
rate of cents per kilowatt-
sFWfth Mayor BergundthaPS perm1S-
nton would like to tell him what 1t
would have cost to light his house
during the past year under the Lin
coin system. The mayor has 40 lamps
First there would be $12 year for h
the meter, then $72 a year for the /,
sget ready fee and then for the
amount of electricity which the mayor
used last year, a charge of $3.50, max
ing total for the year of $3.50 un-
der the Lincoln system. What the
mayor actually paid US was SSS-SO-
ss'Take the auditorium, with its SS1
1ie,fs Under the Lincoln system 1t
would have cost $685. to light the audi
forum last year. We charged the city
Mr Maunseu was asked to state
what the rates are in Topeka, and SAID
thht the rates varied with the klno
and amount of consumption. 1t seemed
70 be impossible to get a statement
from either Mr.. Maunsell or Mr. Null
vane showing what the rates are here
The charge is frequently mace that
the Edison company's present system
is to charge what it can get, adjust
ing the rates entirely according to
their desire to control the business
J. w. Robinson. one of the CONNER
cial club representatives. said:
MANY people on Kansas avenue feel
that there has been an unjust increase
in rates during the past few years We
don't know enough about electricity
to explain ourselves very clearly, per-
haps, but we know that our bills are !
getting bigger. For instance, in our
store we have not increased our use
of electricity during the past few years,
but our bills are now 800 per cent
higher than they were four years ago.
KS the same way all along Kansas
avenue. The Commercial club wants
@ have this presented to the council
before the final passage of the ordi-
nance"
The representative of the Edison
company made no explanation of the
charge of increased rates made by
tEr. Robinson.
councilman Rice asked: "Why is it
necessary for YOU to have minimum
rate of $1.50?"
ut is necessary to keep ready en-
gines. generators etc, to supply all
demands" said Mr.. Maunsell. For a
house with 20 lights, must invest
SIS in equipment Next it is neces- I
sary to use electrical energy to keep
the electric meter in service This is
\ waste which the electrical engineers
Eave been unable to overcome 1t costs
meters, whether any lights in the
house are burned or not Allowing
rs 5 per cent interest and per cent
depreciation on our SIS investment
end add this to the SO makes a con-
glant expense for that customer of
$3.50, whether he uses any electricity
. 1zsath is to pay this expense"
>tzn'f Want Small Consumers