The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-08-15
GAS FRANCHISE
GOES THROUGH
Snow and Darst Are Granted Privii-
eyes by the Council.
CHEAP PRODUCT PROMISED
PERCENTAGE OF RECEIPTS IS To
BE PAID CITY.

y $1-25 Illuminating gas of the same
standard Of efficiency as that sup
piled Chicago, New York and PhiIadeI-
phia are promised the citizens OF Salt
Lake in the ordinance passed by the
/ city council at an early hour this morn
/ ing granting a fifty years franchise TO .
! George A snow Of Salt Lake, and WI
{ liam Darst of Chicago.
The passage Of the ordinance grant
/ ing the franchise followed vigorous op-
position by way OF objectionable amend
4 ments which consumed over two hours.
on final lineup at 1880 this morning
/ the cOuncilmen voted as follows
/ For-Black, Dean, Hartenstein. Hob .
I day, Martin. Neuhausen, Preece.
1 Tuddenham. Wells and Wood-l0.
( Against-Barnes and FernstrOm-2.
! Absent J. Davis. z. H Davis and
] President f J. Hewlett.
Amendments Are Passed.
/ Before the passage Of the ordinance
the following amendments were in
! serted, some only after much discus
! sion, others by consent Of the gran
/ tees:
! BY Wells. inserting the term ''condi-
] tons" in clause providing for reduc-
! lions in rates as Improvements or in
ventions" might warrant
/ BY Wells, providing that the gas
/ furnished salt Lake consumers should
! be up TO the standard OF efficiency OF
! that used in New York, Chicago or
/ Philadelphia
/ BY Preece. providing that the gradu-
( ated scale of percentage Of gross pro-
/ ceeds TO be given the city should read.
/ l per cent per annum for the first five
( years, 112 per cent per annum for the
next five years, and per cent per
| annum thereafter.
/ BY Preece. providing for an increase
{ IN the bond guaranteeing the supply or
/ gas within three years from $4,000 10
! s., 600.
The second amendment. by Wells.
/ came as a compromise TO q proposed
] amendment by Fernstrom providing
/ that the gas furnished be Of not less
I than $50 heat units The gas now in
, use in 80 per cent of the large cities OF
/ the country is water gas, possessing
from $50 to 300 heat units.
franchise Rocky Road.
From the time the ordinance was
I Withdrawn from committee until its
/ passage several hours later the fran
chise Travelled a rocky road InVari-
ably the bumps which caused the
[ SrantOrS 10 hang on tight were inter
I rOgatOry Instructions placed In the way
by FernstTOm. The latter was there
with manual and figures, was primed
TO the exploding point with heat units
and standards of efficiency and
. equipped with statistics of a com busti-
! bic nature.
He alleged on his own behalf and
knowledge, backed up by what he
I quoted from his manual. that he had
several of the gas experts present
/ skinned a mile" He thought L. P
Jennings of the Highland Boy. n
graduate Of Union and Cornell uni
I VeTsities. was cropping In the DARK
when it came to figures on lighting
He talked good gas and "shoddy
gas"
And he stood out against a low heat
unit gas TO the black. black end His
I exclamation of his
objections. he said
I would gladly have voted yes If
the amendment I proposed had been
I voted in. We ought to have $50 heats.
And then I don't like this making A
[ standard of what two or three other
cities do. If we can't make our own
standard we don't want any
Details of the Discussion.
Wells amendment. No /. changes a
I portion of the ordinance which was
I taken verbatim from that passed
granting the Utah Light and Railway
l company a consolidated franchise OF
I fifty years This fact was called 10
Councilman Wells attention by Coun-
/ Gilman Wood, but he explained that
conditions were different in the making
of gas and electricity Councilman
Wood alleged his satisfaction at the
] explanation.
Then the heat unit question bobbed
! Up-uOt sereneIy, but with a pugna-
CADuSs NGul-lO-llAchc -LEOGDle ripple LudL
took two hours 10 settle Councilman
FeTnStTOm offered an amendment fix
ing $50 heat units as the standard and
requiring the SnOw-Darst company 70
| meet this standard. Fernstrom' s
! amendment lost. receiving but four
votes, those of Barnes. FernstrOnl,
Preece and Wells Hartenstein pro
posed an amendment prior TO its de-
. feat. making the standard $50 This
failed.
B. Advantage was taken Of the heat unit
problem by PTeeCe TO ask that the or
dinance go over one week This failed
The council listened TO heat unit the
cries from one quarter and another IN
2 til finally Mr. Snow asked permission
for E P Jennings. the Highland Boy
/ l expert. to speak. Mr.. Jennings went
fully into the subject with the result
- J that the council was shown that car
buTeted water gas eGUalled in efficiency
T. the best of coal gas He pointed out
2 / that efficiency practical results were
the measures by which TO judge gas
{ I and that while Theoretically 500 unit
/. : gas was better than 500 unit gas in
! efficiency it was not one whit superior
$ Having been roasted scorched and
e baked in heat units, the council was
/ ! glad excepting FernstOrm, was ready
D to abandon the subject.
: On Standard of Efficiency.
, The standard Of efficiency was then
e wrestled with. Wells wanted a pro
a vision making II Imperative thdl tlie
= I gas furnished in any city OF the
= limited States Messrs Snow and
n Darst pointed out that some little
Y burg in the southeastern part OF no
b where might take extra precautions
{ about having a high standard OF gas
( In that case. the Salt Lake company
Z ( would be compelled to come up 10 an
n ! unnecessarily high standard and still
4 furnish gas at a price as low as any
large city in the country
A compromise was finally reached.
whereby the three cities already named
are designated as standards for Salt
= Lake
, Preece then Went after the percent
age and bond features and baggeG
: them both. II transpired that he ha7
a agreed to vote for the franchise ia
d case the security bond was increased by
S the sum of $4,000. Mr.. Snow expressed
: his willingness TO add this ''paltry sum
i in case the council demanded It.