The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-15
LOOKING FOR LIGHT
IN THE ORDINANCE
Companies Oppose 1t, While
Supply Houses and Electrical
Workers Favor 1t.
EXPERTS ARE HEARD
BY COUNCIL COMMITTEE
On Next Thursday Evening the
Ordinance Again Will Be
Considered.

The Municipal Laws committee of
.he City Council spent a whole even
ing Thursday wrestling with the much
discussed electric lighting ordinance.
This matter has been for over r year
before the city legislators and very
lengthy document has been prepared.
The measure is intended 10 cover in
spection of all electric wiring done IN
The city and is strongly advocated by
the electric supply companies q the city
as we'll as by the Electrical Workers
union. The former are desirous of shut
ing off cheap work with cheap mate
rial about the city. and the latter or
ganl2atIon is interested in providing for
The safety OF its members. The fran
.hise companies are almost a unit in
opposing the franchise as it now stands
on The ground that il is complicated
md impracticahle; that 1t is liable to
lead to a monopoly in electrical sup
plies
These latter were the principal OBJ
jections, as stated by ID. s, Murray,
general manager Of the Bell Telephone
company who appeared before the com
mittee Others present We're Superin-
endent Of Construction Baker of the
Postal Telegraph company; W. n. Bra
mel, representing the Western Union;
W. n. Scott, r. II. Corey of the Utah
Light Il Railway company, Fred Jones
D1 IOc lnuppc0ubut ltl'I)uhuc 'oNlHduNs =
Secretary ID. |. Elton Of tha Fedora
lion of Labor and Messrs Ramsey, Rob
srt Currie. James Brinkman and Ben
nidrich of the Electrical Workers
lnion. A. H. Skidmore, electrical ex-
pert of the City Engineer s depart
nent, explained the ordinance as draft
ad by the department
Some Of Provisions.
The ordinance provides for an inspec-
lion Of al wiring Of any description IN
he city and of any changes to be made
IN such Under it all work must he mp
"a certain standard and the material
used must he Of quality sanctioned by
he National Board of Fire Underwrit-
PRS and approved by the City Engi-
aeer. The City Engineer s department
IS made responsible for the safety and
good work of all electrical work in the
.ity.
Special clauses provide for the safety
# the worker. One Of these clauses
was reached last night in the require
maut that all wires must allow twenty
six inches between them, thirteen on
either side Of the poles. Some oblec-
lions were made to this by representa-
ives of the companies, who claimed
hat this and other suggested provisions
would make it impossible for several
companies To use the same poles, as has
ooen requested OF 1bcip, anu lDl WHICH
.hev have been making provision
After an hour or two of rather tech
nical discussion, the committee decided
20 give the whole Of next Thursday
evening 10 the discussion of the ordi-
nanccs. and then the companies will
be requested to furnish alternatives for
he sections to which they object.
The safety Of the men who are com
oelled to work on the wires is one of
he main features of the measure, and
The members Of the Council will insist
hat this be fully covered.
Underwriters Approve.
The ordinance in its present form has
net with the approval Of the Pacific
Board of Fire Underwriters. who sub
nitted il to their electrical expert. a, H..
.'orey OF San Francisco. A communlca-
ion was read from all the electrical
supply houses Of Salt Lake asking for
is passage and the Federation of Labor
md the Electrical Workers are anxious
;or its passage.
In his objections Mr.. Murray Of the
telephone company was careful to state
hat he had no objections to the pur-
pose, but that the measure itself was
700 bulky and complicated TO be prac-
icable. His other objections were tech
aical Only two or three of the clauses
were discussed by the committee Thurs
lay evening. and there are yet many
pages in the draft Of the ordinance as
/ now stands.