The Alaska prospector., 1908-05-07
COUNCIL GRANTS
 LIGHT FRANCHISE
Prices Named in Original Application Slightly Re-
 duced by Amendment.

Granting franchise for twenty five years to the Alaska Water, Light and Telephone Company, formally award ing the contracts for the work on the proposed glacier dyke and arranging for the city to join with certain pro- perty owners and business men in planking Reservation street from the wharf to Mckinley street were the matters of business disposed of by the city council at Monday meet ing. In addition to this the council inaugurated procedure to enforce the collection of number of delinquent licenses, took initiatory action with regard to dog licenses and gave ten- tative consideration to a number of communications.
 The lighting franchise, as passed, is somewhat altered from the original, reductions in several classes of lights being made by an amendment sub mitted by the committee to which the application was referred. The reductions are as follows: All night business lights, ,$1.75 for the first three instead of $2; $1.72I for three to nine inclusive instead of $1 75, S1.7O for ten or more instead Of $1.75. In midnight lights the charge will Ee the same as provided for in the applica- tiOn, $1.50 for the first three, S1. .35 for three to nine inclusive and $1.25 for ten or more. Resident lights will be S1.25 for the first three, $1.2O for three to ten and $1 for ten or more. The city gets lights at flat rate of S1. .25 a month each.
 The prices finally decided on are somewhat more than were provided in the original amendment, the change being made after a conference with s. A. Temple. The councilmen believe that the prices are reasonable when compared with the prices charged in other cities in Alaska inas- much as the number of lights in other cities greatly exceeds the number sup piled to Valdez.
 City May Repeal
 The council also amended the fran chise so as to give the city the privi- lege of amending or repeating it any time the necessity for such action may arrive and also inserted a clause making the company responsible for any damage that may result from faulty wires or poles, and also for any action brought against the city to re- cover damages resulting from injury or loss of life due to the existence of the wires or poles.
 There was some talk of inserting a provise prohibiting the company from charging for lights when the power should be less than that indicated on the lamps but Mir. Temple argued this, saying that it is the desire of the lighting company to give satisfac- tion and when it did not do SO it was because of conditions over which it had no control He said that the inn provements contemplated will put the plant in such shape that better lights will be furnished next winter, and it was decided to let the application go without the clause.
 On motion it was decided to suspend the third reading of the application and to grant the franchise. This was done without dissenting vote.
 The recommendation of the per manent improvement committee that the contract for the construction of the dyke be awarded to A. J. Meals and the transportation of material to George Meals was adopted. On motion of Councilman Whitley, A. J. Meals agreed to give bond in $1 ,OOO as surety for the performance of his contract. There was nothing in the advertisement for bids providing for this but Councilman Whitley believed that it would look better and Mir. Meals had no objection to complying. The Valdez Bank and Mercantile Company was awarded the contract for supplying spikes for the dyke work at the rate of A.5O each 100 pounds.
 Surrounded by an immense wall of ice, 8 to 10 feet thick, fire in five story building in Troy, N. Y., filled with bales of cotton waste, defied the