The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-12-23
COUNCIL CANNOT
UNRAYE E IANGLE.
OPEN WARFARE WITH MAYOR rs
PROBABLE.
Council Will Endeavor to Keep Gas
Company and General Electric Com
pany in Same Basket with Patterson
Company, Attic First Two Are Will
ing to Settle Controversy.

Mayor David P. Jones and the city
method of awarding contracts and open
warfare will probably result. Altho
the Minneapolis Gas Light company and
the Minneapolis General Electric com
pany are perfectly willing that their
contracts shall be rewarded by reso-
luton, as requested by the mayor, the
eitX council lin, IN It? effort to assist the
Of a bad hole, has forced the two first,
named concerns into the same basket
with the Patterson company and will
endeavor to keep the three concerns
together, altho the mayor is perfectly
willing to sign the gas. and electric
contracts whenever, they come to him
in proper form. y
At last night s meeting of the coun-
Gil Alderman w. E. Satterlee came to
the support Of the mayor with resolu-
tions awarding contracts to the gas and
electric companies and moved that the
vote on the former contracts be recon
sidered.
Withdraws Resolutions. ..u
President Merrill held that motion
to reconsider was out of order. 1t was
suggested that motion to rescind the
former action would be the proper pro-
cedure, but City Attorney Hea1y ruled
readvertise for bids. Altho none of
the Patterson leaders had word to
say, it was plain to Mr.. Satterlee that
he was going to sure and signal de-
feat, and after a short debate over
parliamentary practice he withdrew the
resolutions. l.s"
Later Alderman F. l.. Schoonmaker
ure authorizing the present lighting
contractors to continue lighting the city
from day to day until contracts had
been signed. The chair ruled this out
of order and the matter was finally
| dropped. ..-.
| Previous to this proceeding commu-
nication from Mayor David P. Jones
opinion that all expenditure of public
funds should be authorized by resolu.
ton. He announced that, in order not
| to work any hardship on various con-
| tractors or to cause any public lncon,
venience, he had signed all contracts
except those relating to street lighting
! Outside Wire Inspector.
In order to inaugurate a systematic
campaign against overhead wires the
council last evening created the office
of outside wire inspector, whose sole
| duty will be to enforce the various or
| dinances for the protection Of life AND
property from dangerous electric wires
This official will be under the supervis
ion of the city engineer and will be .ap
pointed. after a competitive examlna
the head Of the electrical engineering
department Of the, state university,
practical electrician named by the Min
neapois Underwriters association, anC
an electrical engineer of recognized
standing named by the city engineer.
In reference to this matter the sever
al companies maintaining pole lines II
the city submitted statements OF thel
plans. The Twin City Telephone com
pany reported that it owned thirty-tw!
miles Of conduits in this city, Of whicl
next two years it purposed to lay FL,
$40 feet, which with cables and othe
work in connection, would mean an ex
lpense of $4,000. -. =
y The Northwestern Telephone com
pany presented the same report as tina
submitted to the committee on under
ground wires fortnight ago. It ha
been extending it's underground system
for several years past and will continu
the work.
Suggests Plan of Procedure.
The Minneapolis General Electri
company in it's communication suggest
ed that the most important step was t
remove from the roofs and sides 0
buildings all transformers and high
pressure alternating current circuits
The work should start in the center 0
the city and be extended outward unit
all were removed. Then should begi
} in the center Of the city the work Q
removing overhead wires from tn
center Of blocks, substituting servic
wires entering the buildings unde
I ground directly from the street col
, duits. It had been estimated that tn
expense of removing the transforme1
and the high tension wires would +
tuting the underground wire servic
: would cost 500, 900, or a toal expens
9 Of $650,00O for the Minneapolis Gene
4 al Electric company.
:, City Attorney Frank Healy in a.
:, cordance with a new ordinance, a.
e pointed Hugh Jennings as claim agel
O and sidewalk inspector. This offit
d was formerly included in the police
n partment. The appointment was co:
4 frmed. =. .r. ....|.~E
For Spur Track.
Il The ordinance granting permission |
= the Milwaukee railway company to CO.
T. Strl1ct q sD11r track hetween Third ar