Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1907-09-13
BELLOWS FALLS NEWS
Vote to Grant a Franchise to
Bellows Falls Gas Company
Considerable Discussion In Village corpo-
ration Meeting Before Action was
Taken-company's Plans.

Taken-company's Plans.
About 200 voters Of the village corpora
ton met in the opera house Friday even
ing in response to a call for a special
meeting to act upon the granting of
franchise to the Bellows Falls Gas COM
pany. This company is owned largely by
Pennsylvania capitalists, two of whom,
j. a. Murray and j. d. Lloyd, were pres
ent About two years ago franchise
was granted to company, the men then
connected with it having sold their rights
to the present holders of the stock, and
as the last legislature granted a new
charter to the present company largely
extending it's powers, it became necessary
that the franchise from the village should
he reissued. Thomas e. O'Brien, being at
the present time a stakeholder and attor-
ney for the company, also being mem
Der of the board of trustees of the village,
and the president of its board, did not
think it proper for the board to grant the
new franchise without the citizens having
a chance to vote upon it.
w. c. Belknap was chosen moderator
of the meeting and a large amount Of
discussion followed the reading of the
proposed franchise. Many speakers felt
the document did not hold the company
closely enough as to the care of the
streets and the rights of the residents
Many references were made to the loose
manner in which the electric road is
allowed by their franchise to obstruct the
streets and avoid expense of keeping
them in as good condition as they would
be If the road was not here, and 1t was
this object lesson which seemed to warn
many of too freely granting all the rights
asked. Some speakers wanted a stiff
price to be charged for the rights, others
wanted the whole matter referred to a
special committee to investigate and re-
port to later meeting, while still others
asked for an amendment to the franchise
which should require the company to pay
to the village per cent. of its gross in
come.
D. P. Higgins moved to refer the matter
to a committee as a substitute to the mo-
ton to grant the franchise. This substi-
tute was lost by a vote of 6S to As. Upon
the question of granting the franchise
there was but little opposition when It
finally came to a vote and it. was granted
in practically the form it was presented
to the meeting by Attorney Brien.
The representatives of the company who
were present stated that they had already
spent about SO, 900 i'm land, plans and sur
veys, and that the first plan Of spending
only about $4,000 upon the plant had been
abandoned and that at least $4,000 would
be spent, making it one of the best and
most complete plants in any village of its
size in the country. The franchise pro-
vides that work upon the plant shall be
commenced within 80 days and carried
forward to completion without any I'M
necessary delay. They promise that gas
shall be supplied for general use through
out theeVillage during the coming winter,
and will at once file with the trustees a
bond in the sum of $4,000 or more to in
demnify the village from any permanent
injury to either public or private property.