The daily sentinel., 1905-08-16
That Franchise

The Grand Junction Electric & Gas
Company last night asked leave to
withdraw its application from the
council for new franchise. The per
mission was granted at once.
This action upon the part of the
electric light company was due, ac-
cording to the attorney for the com
pany, to the fact that the proposi-
tion made by the resolution of AL
derman Davies was so low that il
would be poor business upon their
part to accept
A great many people believed The
company was earning a vast amount
of money, and that it would accept
almost any proposition that might be
made them by the city. The refusal
is ample testimony that the com
pany would be greatly affected in its
proft-earning capacity by accepting
the proposal of the city.
Had the city been able to secure
an acceptance of the proposition
from the electric light company. a
saving of $50 per arc light per year
would have been made upon the ap-
proXimately sixty arc lights now be
ing used and which will be increased
from time to time. With sixty arcs
in use the saving to the city would
have been $1,000 per year on the
present contract with the lighting
company during a period OF five
years.
Upon the question Of granting a
franchise there was hardly any divis-
ion of sentiment in the council Had
the company accepted the city's prop
osition, as embodied in the motion of
Alderman Davies, the franchise
would have been granted with com
paratively no opposition. The whole
matter was terminated, so far as the
council was concerned, because the
rate and terms which the city offered
the company for lighting. in lieu of
what was practically a 20-year fran
chise. was below what the electric
lighting company deemed a reasona-
BILE proposition for lighting.
Throughout the consideration Of
the granting of the franchise the
members of the board of aldermen
endeayored to meet the light COM
pany on some common ground.
At no time was the matter of grant
ing the franchise. as asked for. ser
iously considered. without some com
pensation to the city. Nor did the
petitions presented to the council car
ry much weight for the reason that
many people had signed for and
against the granting of the franchise
and quite a few repudiated their own
act by backcapping their own sigma
lures to both petitions For these
reasons the council refused to be in
fluenced whatever by the petitions
and finally settled upon a basis upon
which they would agree to the grant
ing of the franchise, after mucn
thought and due consideration of the
question.
AS the lighting company has seen
fit to turn down the proposition. the
city Will pay for the lights being
used by il on the old schedule OF
500 per month. and the commercial
lights Will be paid for as the com-
pany may see fit to charge the indi-
vidual user. II was the sense of the
majority of the council that the
company should be granted fran.
chise. The only question at issue was
that franchise worth to the company
As no common grounds of agreement
could be agreed upon. the company
simply exercised it's privilege of
withdrawing its APPLICATION for an ex-
tension of its franchise
What the result to the city will be
time alone can tell No city can af-
ford to be niggardly in its dealings
with Interested capital, as well can
not company afford to antagonize
the city that permits them the use
of its thoroughfares for conveying
what it has TO sell to the consumer.