The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1906-06-06
Contract Including Fifteen Years Exclusive Franchise, Has
Already Been Signed By City Council Commttee-Dlssa
scon Over the Failure Of the Sw| Contractor to Properly
Perform His Agreement - Merchants Association VIII
Probably Vote to COse Stores on Friday Afternoons During
the Summer SeaSOn-Annua Convention Of UnIVsSaIlStS
In High Street Church

On and after July l the price OF gas
20 consumers In this city Will be at the
rate Of sff6 per thousand feet -feF-lhe
succeeding Ave years. At the end OF that
time the price will be sl.05 for period
OF Ave years and for the third period OF
i've years the people will pay 81 per
thousand feet.
All this Is the result Of a resolution
which the city council passed some time
ago granting an exclusive franchise 70
the Pawtucket Gas company for period
OF Is years. and which Mayor Higgins
signed yesterday afternoon. as stated IN
the New Democrat last evening
During the evening there was meeting
Of the city council committee on street
lights which had been notified OF the
action of the mayor, and this committee
acting under the authority conveyed In
the resolution, signed the contract with
the gas company so tnat all that Is now
necessary is the affixing OF the sigma
ture OF the officers OF the company and
the final approval OF the mayor. for
mality which is called for under the city
charter.
The one unfortunate feature Of the con-
tract is that Il upholds the principle OF
exclusive franchises. But II must be
admitted that in connection with a gas
company In a small city like Pawtucket
ihlly when Il comes 10 a short term fran
chise The Pawtucket Gas company Is
an old established concern. Its plant Is
located In the city. and It's street mains
occupy the highways. In view OF this
AZ is hardly likely that any other company
would attempt TO enter into competition
So that TO all practical purposes the
company already has an exclusive fran
cflise. Under the law, too, the city is In
= tar a
after having granted rne frHHchfse SO
that this is something gained.
His Honor Mayor Higgins In signing
the resolution stated his objections TO the
exclusive franchise feature. but he de-
clared that In view OF the advantages
which the people are 10 receive he did
not feel justified in Withholding his ap-
proval
POOR SERVICE.
There is not the slightest doubt that /
the people OF this city are getting mighty |
poor service from the man who has the
contract for collecting swill. The suppo-
sition Is that the garbage teams make
their rounds al least every other day at
this season OF the year and they ought |
20 make collections every day. But no
such thing occurs.
year ago there was a lot OF trouble
about this matter. and many complaints
were made TO the health officer. who did
what ne could TO remedy the trouble. but
Il continued Just the same throughout
the summer Occasionally when the
matter was ventilated IN the newspapers
there would be slight Improvement for
few days, and then things would get
back into their old rut.
Now the same old condition prevails.
There are sections OF the city which the
garbage wagon has not visited In over
week, and IL Is easy to understand what
that means in this warm weather. The
contract for gathering swill Is let by the
city council at so much per year, aud II
Is the duty OF the health officials TO see
that the work Of removal is done prop
erly.
MERCHANTS WILL MEET.
A regular monthly meeting OF the Paw
tucket Merchants association will be held
this evening In the pariors OF the Bene-
diet House, and among the matters that
are expected to come up for action is a
proposition from the clerks employed in
the downtown stores for a continuation
OF the policy adopted a couple OF years
ago TO close the stores each Friday after
noon during the summer months.
Without doubt the matter viii be acted
upon favorahly, because II has heen- found
by past experience that good results are
obtained by this concession. The general
public has learned to expect the stores
20 be closed on these afternoons and con-
sequently practically no trade is lost.
STREETS ARE DARK
II is a bad policy to have the streets ir
the business section OF the city unlghteo
ON any night OF the moon schedule. y
This means that during the half dozen
nights each month when the moon is al
Its brightest no street lights arc turned
on. and as a consequence the streets after
the lights are out In the store windows
are very dark.
This schedule may save money TO the
city, but II Is an open invitation for
thieves TO get in their work
Night officers no matter how vigilant