Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-17
LEAGUE ORDINANCE
TO GO TO PEOPLE
DROMGOLD WILL TRY TO SUB
NIT EMASCULATED DRAFT
Sponsors for Original Measure Antici-
pate No Difficulty in Securing
the Required Number
for Petition

The initiative petitions for the Mu-
nicipal leagues public utility ordl-
nance were finished by the printer yes
terday, and Monday morning the
league will begin their circulation. AL
though the charter requires only sig
natures Of qualified voters equal to
5 per cent of the vote for mayor at
the last general election, which would
be about 1900 in this case, the league
will secure about 2500 signatures IN
order that there may be no doubt OF
sufficiency. The league fully expects
to get this number before a week from
Tuesday and present the petition to
the council on that day. The city
clerk will endeavor to check up the
petition before the following council
meeting, and then the council Will pc
compelled to submit this ordinance to
the people for a vote, no matter how
much they may dislike to do so.
Dromgold has been quoted as saying
that if the ordinance of the MunlclpaL
league is submitted to the people he
will do his best to see that the coun-
Gil also submits the harmless little i'm
itation of which he is one of the col
laborating authors at the same time.
E. o. Edgerton, secretary of the Mu-
nicipal league, declared yesterday that
he wished the corporation ordinance
might be submitted just to show the
Dromgold- -Haskins-G -Goudge aggrega-
tion what the public really thinks of
it's substitute.
Two Measures Differ
The Municipal league ordinance is
vastly different from the measure
passed by six members of the council
last week. 1t provides for a commits
sion of three members to be appoint
ed by the mayor and confirmed by
the council. This commission will not
be paid for it's services, but will be on
the same footing as the police. tre.
park and other commissions, and will
be permitted to employ such experts
as it needs. 1t not only has jurisdic-
ton, in an advisory capacity, over
gas, electric light, telephone and wa
ter corporations, but over the fran
chises of street railways as well, and
its powers are much broader in scope
than is allowed by the Dromgold
measure. 1t also provides $4,000 a
year for the use Of the commission.
Dromgolds commission is composed
of lve members appointed by the
council. One of the commissioners is
an accountant, one an attorney, one
an engineer, and the other two just
members.
Each of the commissioners receives
$1,000 a year, the "just members" get
ting as much as the engineer, the ac-
countant and the attorney, although
these experts are expected to give the
city the benefit of their technical
knowledge, while the "just members"
do nothing much but vote. This COM
mission is also empowered to employ
a secretary at $4,000 year. This COM
mission may suggest to the council
that it would be advisable to pass an
ordinance fixing the rates of the pub
lie utility corporations at so much a
year, and in order to form a basis for
this suggestion may examine the
books and property of these corpora
tions. 1t has no power over street car
franchises or any other kind of fran
chise. The Dromgold ordinance car
ries an appropriation of only $4,000 a
year, and $74O0 of this is eaten up in
salaries alone, leaving nothing for the
commission to use for its work, as
the remaining $500 would be consumed
by postage stamps and other inciden-
tails.