The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-24
He Sets Forth in Con-
.vincing Manner M:l Oppo-
sition to City Plant.
WILL DRIVE AWAY
ALL INVESTORS
Mr.. Could Had Spent Millions
Here and Expected to Spend
Millions More, Unless Pre-
vented by the City Itself.
Friends Of Proposition
Present Their Side.

After a session OF over three hours,
devoted to q hearing OF contending arsu.
n.ents on the proposed municipal opera
tion OF an electric lighting plant. the
jcint Council Committee on Finance and
Electricity adjourned late last night, de-
laying final action until the presenta-
ton OF! n supplementary report to be filed
by the special engineer engaged by the
city to make a thorough investigation into
the entire matter.
Representatives OF the Gould interests
appeared during the evening In opposi-
tIon to the municipal ownership plan and
were followed by several prominent cit
izcns who united with them In urging
upon the committee tho most careful and
earnest confederation before they took a
step that would In all likelihood drive
from Richmond that very capital and en-
,erprise It had strtvcn 80 long and here
tcfore 80 vainly TO bring 1t. letter
from Mr.. Gould himself was read In
dIcating clearly hia position md the ef-
feet the establishment OF the proposed
plant wifi have in checking the extensive
plans he has made for developing and
Building up the territory in and around
4 this city. THE manner In which Mr.
Gould and This sister became interested
1r. the properties here, tho very thorough
way In which they were film flammcds
by their friends. and their 81 rbsequent
efforts to reorganize the enterprise they
row control and escape as easily as
possible from the ncshes, while at the
"a me time protecting the interests OF the "a =
1,ndv a SSOuare
4 DEAL all came out In the course OF {the
session, and proved indeed. the most
H Interesting feature OF the hearing.
Atathe conclusion OF the lenthy arg1l-
rnert 81 the representative OF Mr and
Miss Could, and after three or four c.tiES c.tiE
s scns Il had spoken brie the auYoca.ss !, .
OF The municipal ownership scheme ma ade
presentation Of thetE side OF the cues ss.
ton. AT tf1ls point the consideration or
the matter took n new turn. and q reso-
lution was adopted inquiring Into ing
cost OF a plant that would furnish the
city alone, and not compete With MIR,
4 Gould for the general trade. Engineer
Traford was requested to look into TINS
and to submit report. The sitting
came to a close a halt hour before mia
night, with the understanding that sufti-
Client time would be given to the advo-
Gates Of the plan to prepare reply to
the arguments offered by the opposition.
The Hearing
The committees were called to order
shortly after eight o'clock BY Chairman
r. b. Wood. Seventeen members were
present as follows Messrs.s Blair. Can
non, Cottrcll, Dabney, Pollock. Pollard
Woodburn. satterhcld Gunst. Minor.
Reynolds Miner. Gates. Griggs, Don
Lcavy and Spence. Every seat In the
a room was taken. Colonel Cutshaw and
Rp11fn n1Jt txvor r-fhinN tho
railing. the benches were a number OF
prominent citizens Including Mr.. E. RAN
nolph Williams. Mr. n. w. Bowe. Mr.
Fritz sitterd'ns. Captain A. B. Guigon
Mr.. s.. W. Huff Mr.. w S. Copeland, Mr..
3 W. M. Northrop, Mr. II. Z. CabeIl and
p number OF others
After the roll call the committees Mt
once got down to work. A letter from Mr..
Gould to the committee was read The
letter said:
Office OF
Frank Jay Could
1s5 Broadway. NJ
To Committee ., g on r, Finance,and q. EleG.
Richmond Va:
Gentem,enai 81 regret that It will not
se tsnd a ar on e yoar
committee fixed for October 23 1906,
for a hearing upon tho PROPOSE ton to
plant for the city Of Richmond. ns"I
expect to sail for Europe on the 10th
OF this month. have, therefore, re-
quested my sounsel to appear on be-
half of myself and Miss Could
feel sure that an yestiga ton will
convince your committee that neither
hs ns es i Ps9pf sq IRE g es
vice, The city is paying for Its street
llghting $54; % per 9annum for each arc
rate than Is paid by any other city, OF
It's size in the United States. whether
the service be controlled and operated
by the municipality or by private cor
poration. White the comparison Of the
rates to private consumers ia more
sifriGqlt owing 70 the variation IN local Ca
leye that an Investigation will demon
etrate that the rates charged in Rich
ona boa are 10y MT a Fl
any other City ofits size in the United
states-taking into cnnsIdernt,on ~
this comparison municipal plants. as
tiens. Teli % pants eoh'ro'ea y soti'o''E
Under these conditions II would not
see ihnt he OF x
horbitant rates OF the existing plant
or IL order to protect the city and
,ts rar inhabitants ma from an over-charse
Tho companies which have hereto
niae,r lore 9Wnnd ed, and operated the existing
csted, as holders Of securities, are,
as you know, in liauidat'on. and tho
properties are now in the hands of
receivers OF ,thesa United States
say what Will be the results of this
litigation or. who will control these
properties when It is termina ted. The
City and It's peonle, however always
have an abundant safeguard aRainst
exhorh'tant charges for electric ser-
vice, In the control which the r,,,l- rr
nlcinal government can exercise over
public service corporations and thsk
lis impnsed upon every nuhltc servira 9
corporation to give an efficient scryice
at reasonable rates In order to avoid
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