Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-11
ALEXANDRIA AFFAIRS
BUSINESS TRANSACTED AT SEES
SION OF CITY COUNCIL.
Bids for Power Franchise and Electric
Light Plant-To Form Bust
ness League.
,pecl.l correspopdeuce Of The star.

The principal business before the city
council at a session last evening was the
receipt OF bids for the purchase Of the old
electric lighting plant and the power fran
chise. which had been advertised in ac-
cordance with an ordinance recently passed
by council authorizing the sale of the fran
chise and plant in the event that any bid
offered was acceptable.
The committee on finance recommended
an appropriation of $10o for the pay of sal
airy due several Of the teachers of the public
schools and an appropriation of 500 each
for the Relief Fire Company. the Columbia
Fire Company and the Reliance Fire Com
pany. to defray the expenses Of a trip to
the meeting OF the State Fire Association
at Richmond. The reports were adopted
by the council. Mr.. Snowden suggested
that the consideration of routine business
be suspended while both bodies Of the coun-
Gil met in Joint session for the purpose OF
considering the bids offered for the power
franchise and electric light plant. Mr.
Spinks objected, but was overruled. MI
Spinks then moved that the advertisements
for the sale Of the franchise be read, but
the motion was not carried. The members
of the board of alderman having appeared,
the bids were opened by President Snow
den.
Names Of the Bidders.
Charles H. B. Chaplin Of New York offered
5000 for the franchise and plant or $.soo
for the franchise alone. He agreed to FUR
nish lights to the city at the rate OF I'D
each for less than 100 lamps and s65 each
per year for all over 100 lamps for the first.
second. third and fourth years: $3.50 and
$62.5O for the fifth sixth and seventh years:
and $50 and $50 for the eighth. ninth anu
tenth years of the contract.
Pressey & Weller of Washington. d. c..
offered $500 for both the old plant and the
franchise, or 81. $50 for the franchise alone:
They agreed to furnish arc lights Tor VOC
per lamp per year for not less than eighty
lamps, or $50 per lamp per year for all over
10 lamps They also agreed to rent the
gas plant for $4,000 per annum. provided
their bid on the power franchise was ac-
of this latter proposition on the ground
that the gas works had not been advertised
for lease, but his motion was overruied.
Edward E. Vaudeville of Philadelphia Of
fered s.. 600 for the franchise alone. or $sSo
for both the plant and franchise. He agreed
to furnish arc lights for SO per annum, pro-
vided as many as eighty-five were USED
by the city, and to furnish incandesceho
street lamps of twenty-five-candle power
for 1850 and of thirty-tWo-canule power
for $3.50 per year.
Howell & Sinclair of Washington proposed
to pay IS, 900 for the old plant ana iran
chise and to furnish arc lights for $40 eacn
per annum for the first ten years, $6S eaen
per annum for the second ten years and
$50 each per annum for the third ten years,
provided as many as eighty-fve lamps were
used 400 ,oo
for the franchise and old plant or $1S50O
for the franchise alone. In either case he
agreed to pay $4,000 cash and the re-
rainder to be secured by his promissory
note payable in ten years without interest.
Referred to a Committee.
After hearing all the bids the joint session
of the two boards was dissolved and upon
the reasseu,bllng OF the common council
a motion was made and carried that all
the bids be referred to the committee on
finance, light and general laws. Mr..
Boothe offered q resolution. which was
passed, appropriating $500 for the pay Of
an expert electrical engineer to advise the
committee as to the best course to take
on the bids offered.
The committee on general laws and streets
reported that the communication from the
mayor in regard to the Henry street track
had been referred to that committee and
recommended that the corporation at
torney be instructed to make motion that
the injunction granted by Judge Ntcoi of
the circuit court be dissolved and to take
such other steps as he deemed necessary for
the protection of the rights Of the city in
the matter.
Mr.. Strauss opposed the report of the
committee and said that he did not wish to
see the city go into litigation with the
railroad company
Mr. Leadbeater said the track had been
abandoned by the company for all practical
purposes but that the company wished to
retain the use of Henry street track simply
for shifting freight cars.
Mr.. Boothe said he did not see how the
city of Alexandria could afford not to fight
the suit, for, he said. If the city did 30 now
the railroad company would do as 1T pleased
in the future.
Expensive Litigation.
President Snowden remarked that he had
opposed the measure from the first on ac-
count Of the expensive litigation which he
knew would follow. He then read a sec
ton OF an ordinance passed fourteen years
ago In which the railway company was
granted the use of Henry street forever.
A motion was finally made that the report
of the committee be adopted, and 1t was
carried by vote of to 8.
An ordinance providing for the sale Of
the franchise for the use of Cameron street
from Payne street to the corporation limits
dria and Mount Vernon Electric Railway
Company for a single track was read and
ordered advertised. according to law.
Mr.. Strauss called for the reading of an
ordinance providing for the grading and
paving of King street, from Payne street
to Peyton street. and approprfattng So, 800
as the pra rata share of the cost to the
city. Mr. Bryan and Mr.. Snowden objected
to the ordinance. they said only two OF
the property owners had signihed their in
tention Of paying their part of the i'm
provement. and the suggestion was made
that the matter again be allowed to go over
until a canvass could be made to see how
many of the property owners would pay.
vote was called for. and the ordinance
passed. Mr.. Snowden. Mr.. Bryan and Mr..
Uhler voting in the negative.
After considering several minor tnatters
the council adjourned.
To Form Business League.
mass meeting OF colored people of Alex
andria, Prince William. Loudoun, Fairfax,
Fauquier. Culpeper. King George. Louisa.
Orange and Stafford counties of Virginia
will be held In Alexandria August l. Booker
T. Washington. president of the National
Negro Business League, has called the
meeting for the purpose of forming a local
business league in the vicinity of Alex
andria to act IN unison with the national
body.
The National Negro Business League has
received an Invitation from the governor or
Georgia and the mayor of Atlanta to hold
Its annual session this year at Atlanta, Ga
Under the provisions of the BarksdaIe
law all those who participated in the regu-
lar June election for the city council are
expected to file with the clerk OF the cor