The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1907-06-16


franchise of the Belt railway line or tn
Waterworks Company, or the Shreve
port Gas, Electric Light and Powe
Company?
When the concessions to these cor
porations were granted, Shreveport wa
not as populous as now, and it was thel
felt that these companies had to be en-
couraged to meet demand of actua
necessities, essential to the welfare o
the people. 1t is to be regretted tina
when these concessions were granted
there was not reserved or exacted fol
the people specific stipulations and con
ditions which should have been antici
pated then, and which are strikingly
manifest now
What is the commercial value of a
franchise?
To the community, it may not be
reached by the price, fixed in dollars
and cents, but in the advantages and the
privileges which may be enjoyed by the
people.
The franchise which is the most val
liable to community is the one from
which is derived the greatest benefits
for the people
For instance, the privilege or rather
right of transfer on the street railways
would be an advantage of inestinlable
value to the people, but the failure to
specify this provision in the charter or
in the concessions which have been Sc
cured by the company in the course of
its extensions and improvements has
left the people at the mercy of the COM
pany and leaves to this company the au-
thority to exercise their discretion in
this grant of transfer Had this been
fixed in the grant of the charter and
subsequent privileges, there would not
now be any contention about an issue
which is fair and equitable and is OBJ
tanned in other cities of the United
State, and the people would now be in
the enjoyment of right which is denied
them
The same observation may be applied
to the Shreveport Waterworks company
whose rates were fixed in the water
works and sewerage ordinance adopted
August II, 1886, and which is possessed
of the authority to charge an interest of
per cent on the net cost of sewerage
extension.
1t will not be questioned that if the
city could revise these rates fixed for
the use of water and for sewerage there
would follow decrease of at least so
per cent if not more, and the 2 per
Gene clause would be eliminated alto
gether.
It may be recalled that when the
necessary privileges for the supply of gas
and electric lights were given in the
original grant that the rates were fixed
on manufactured gas, on the basis of
coal ranging at $500 or more ton, but
gradual decrease followed, not only in
the price of manufactured gas but in
electric lights.
As is known to the readers of news
papers, the Shreveport Gas, Electric
Light and Power Company propose TO
reduce the price of gas to IS cents, less
10 per cent, to domestic consumers,
which is equivalent to 2z Ia cents per
1000, and for manufacturing purposes
a rate ranging to IT cents per 100 feet
It IS only necessary to say that in this
schedule there is presented some adval1-
tage to the domestic consumer and is
encouraging to manufacturers, but
these rates must be Incorporated as the
maximum, in the contract pending, from
which there can be no evasion and which
viii make impossible any combination
which would operate against the people
# the maximum is fixed for all appli-
cants
In this city today is a claimant for
favor at the hands of the Council. who
are presumed to be the representatives
and the mouthpieces of the people. This
company, the Atkins, have an indefinite
proposition. The grant which this COM
pany is seeking has value which can
not now be computed, and doubtless the
Atkins Company would pay the city a |
hundred thousand dollars if it could pos
sibly secure monopoly of the gas priv
ilege, an yet its proposition. when re-
duced to practical and intelligent con-
sideration, is not only misleading, but ii |
is ensnaring
What advantage would the people de-
rive from the grant of the charter to the |
Atkins Company, as written, and in
which it would not be possible to recede.
What guarantee has been given for the
fulhllment of their promises?
On ifs face the Atkins proposition ap-
pears to be as speculative as it is pros
,ective. And yet at the informal meeting
# the Council Monday evening, the