The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-02-19
GAS FRANCHISE
GOES TO CAUCUS
Special Committee of City COun-
Gil Unable to Reach an
Agreement.
WILL PASS NATTER ALONG
TO AMERICAN C0UNCILMEN
Majority of Committee, 1t Is I'm
derstOOd, Is i'll Favor of
Increase.

Being unable to agree upon report TO
the City Council and not willing TO sub
NIT majority and minority report, the
special committee, appointed to consider
the application OF Snow & Darst for an
increase of rates In their gas franchise.
decided Saturday afternoon TO submit the
matter TO a caucus OF the American mem
bers OF the City Council. The committee
proposes 10 report to the caucus all the
figures that have been secured as TO
prices elsewhere. as well as the conter-
tions OF the proponents or the increase.
Saturdays Meeting.
At yesterday afternoons meeting there
were present Councilmcn Ferry. Mulyeys
Carter, Holiday and ODonncl. Attorney
Allan T. Sanford Mr. Kempf Of the Utah
Light and Railway company, and others.
When asked II he had anything further
TO say why the Increase should not be
granted. Mr. Sanford said that he had
nothing special, except that he though;
the company should be made to agree to
put gas in the mains. AS the franchise
read he said. the old company could put
the gas in II arrangements were made TO
that effect
Questioned by Mulvey.
why were you not here when tho orig
inal franchise was up for consideration
Mr., Mulvcy asked.
We'll. replied MIR. Sanford. IT had
some other franchise matters on at that
time and neglected IL. / want 10 add
that my main objection to this Increase
Is based upon the ground that Mr.. Snow
has not shown that the Increase is neces-
Sary.
AS to Certain Coal Fields.
Chairman Ferry then stated that Mr..
Snow had shown that 1t would be lmpos-
slble to exploit certain coal fields, which
1t was originally Intended to use, as an
expert had reported that the coal In ques-
ton could not be used for making gas,
and the company had to seek more ex-
pensve fields This statement was cor
roborated by Mr. Snow and attention was
called TO the fact that the original fran
chise was granted before the report Of
the expert WAS filed.
Cost Of Gas Elsewhere.
Chairman Ferry next read from reports
received from Massachusetts, as to the
cost of manufacturing gas In that
State. and the prices at which the gas
was sold. In the city OF Boston the
cost OF manufacture Is 81 cents and the
gas Is sold for sS $40 cents. The other
prices ranged from sc cents to manufac-
ture and sc cents the selling price 10
81 cents to manufacture and Sl.07 as the
selling price.
kilograms From Other Cities.
kilograms also were read from various
cities showing that prices were as high
as 81 20 q thousand where the city owned
shown that gas was selling at 81 per
thousand, the coal fields being $50 miles
distant. AT Wheeling, w Va. where
the city owns tho plant gas costs % 2-l0
cents TO manufacture, including leakage,
interest on the investment, etc. 1t was
conceded. too, that coal was much cheap
er In those places than 1t is here.
Mr.. Kempf OF the Utah Light and Rail-
way company was asked by a member OF
the committee II gas could be manufao-
tured here for a cents thousand His
.lNF fkNf L. n
the question. under the circumstances
Milwaukce's Modern Plant.
The conditions In Milwaukee were then
discussed to some extent In Milwaukee
tucl gas Is sold at so to 90 cents and IL
Eliminating gas at 81 TO so cents per thou
sand. Milwaukee owns the most modern
plant In the United States and II was
pointed out that the facilities for secur-
Ing coal and oil were unsurpassed
Suggestion Is Offered.
At this point Mr. Kempf again offered
a suggestion, TO the effect that while a
ton OF coal would still make 10000 feet
of gas just as it would forty years ago.
scheme this could be increased to the
value of +O.CoO feet from ton of coal
Oil Needed in Water Gas.
Mr. Kempf was then asked as to the
value of the by-products in ton OF
coal, where gas was being manufactured
but he did not care to answer He ad-
ntted. however. that a large amount OF
oil was needed. where water gas was
being used for Illuminating purposes
Referred to Caucus.
After some further discussion. the
committee took the matter up alone bur
as the members were divided It was de-
cided TO refer the entire matter TO a eau
Gus OF the American members OF tho
city Council. This caucus will probably
be held Monday afternoon.