The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-12-31
FRANCHISE TO
BE ACCEPTED
BY COMPANY
Utah Light & Railway DireC-
tors to Take Formal
Action Today.
AGREEMENT WILL END
A LONG CONTROVERSY
LIGHTING PROBLEM SOLVED ADJ
VANTAGEoUsLY ALONG WITH
TRACTION ISSUE.

The Utah Light & Railway company
will accept the franchise passed by the
council Dec. 2 last. W. H. Bancroft,
president of the company, has deter
mined that such action is for the best
interests of the company, and viii ask
the board of directors TO ratifv his de-
cisiOn. The directors will meet in the
presidents office this morning, and il
is understood that there will be no op-
position to the acceptance of the fran
chise.
As soon as the vote is taken, the city
recorder viii be notified, and this with
out further formalities binds the com
pany and the city to an agreement
which viii not expire until Aug z. 1855.
The acceptance of the franchise by
the company marks the conclusion of a
squdbble with the council since April
L last, and means that the company
can now go ahead with 100000 worth
OF improvements which will rehabili-
tate the present antiquated system and
give the people of Salt Lake transporta-
ton facilities modern in every respect.
What Company Gains.
The franchise by its terms gives the
company the right to extend its pres
ent lines to the city limits by either
double or single track line, as the case
may be, gives the right to haul freight
and building material on it's cars up
Fifth South street to its new barns at
Seventh East, and reaffirms and re-
enacts the franchise granted Aug. :.
1905 the legality of which is now be-
fore the courts. an action to declare il
null and void having been brought
nearly two years ago by Thomas Ho-
mer. The re-enaction of the old fran
chise means that the suit will have TO
be dropped.
In return for these concessions, the
company will grade all streets over
which It desires 10 make extensions.
will furnish arc lamps for street light
ing of the latest type for $50 a year
each instead of s72, the present price,
and will give the city absolute control
of the water power which can be gem
Grated by the fall of the water from the
Big Cottonwood conduit into Parley's
canyon reservoir.
There is also provision which al
lows independent interurban companies
coming from d distance of more than
ten miles from the city limits to run
their cars over the tracks of the local
company to the heart Of the city. This
concession is valuable in that il will
stimulate the building of interurban
lines to the smelter towns and also into
Utah valley.
Settles Lighting Problem.
The franchise settles the lighting
problem and the price fixed for arc
lamps for $50 a year is much lower than
the average rate in other cities. In the
few instances where cities secure their
light at a more reasonable rate, mu-
nicipal ownership prevails without ex-
ceptiOn and even in these the statistics
given seldom take into consideration the
interest on the investment.
Mayor Bransford will propose to the
council that in view OF this reduction,
at least 400 more are lamps be installed
and that the present system be rear
ranged so as to conform to the latest
ideas on municipal lighting This mat
ter was thoroughly discussed by the
members of the special lighting commit
tee, of which the mayor was the chair
man, and definite system has already
been mapped out.
The water power which can be gen
Grated by the fall from the conduit is
estimated at between 800 and 600 horse
power and If at any time the city de-
sires to install its own electric power
plant it can do so by utilizing this
power.