Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-14
NEW UTILITIES
MEASURE RUINED
BY INTERESTS
FAITHFUL MENIALS ON WATCH
EMASCULATE ORDINANCE
DROMGOLD TO THE RESCUE OF
ENDANGERED FRANCHISES
Councilman Attacks Provisions Slipped
In by Municipal League When
Big interests Were Off
Watch

w ITH Sam Haskins, representing
w the Huntington interests and
Herbert j. Goudge, represent
ing the electric companies, standing
by and nodding their approval, Coun-
Gilman Dromgold yesterday shot his
own public utilities ordinance all to
pieces, carefully eliminating those
portions that would give most offense
to the corporations.
The part that Dromgold was par
ticularly careful to have blotted out
was the provision that the public util-
tiles commission, for which the ordi-
nance provided, should have advisory
powers in the matter of franchises ana
no franchise should be offered for
sale until it had been investigated by
the commission. Also that the com
mission should keep a careful rec
ord of all franchises.
1--WE have not the right to delegate
such powers to anybody" was Drom-
COLDS reason for cutting out these
portions.
Wallace asked Deputy City Attor-
ney Wilson if such was the case and
Mr. Wilson replied that the council
did have a legal right to refer iran
chises to the commission if 1t chose.
"Well 1 think it would be better for
us to frame an ordinance we can agree
on, anyhow" said Mr.. Dromgold. He
was very frank about it. He dldn I
want the utilities commission to nave
such powers and his attitude plainly
indicated it.
Surprise Really Shocking
While going through his pruning
process Dromgold said he did not know
how some of these features had crept
into his ordinance. They got in by
his own ecarelessness. When he moved
about two weeks ago, that the city
attorney prepare an ordinance pro-
viding for a public utilities commits
sion, he gave full and explicit dlrec-
tions on a few points. He directed
that commission be appointed by the
council, that the commission be COM
posed of five members, one of whom
should be an attorney, one an ac-
countant one an engineer, and tnat
each of the five should receive $100o
year. They were to select secre-
tary who would receive $2400 a year.
But this was as far as he went. Ex-
cept to generalize that they should
have the power to advise on the rates
to be charged by the public utilities
companies, he did not define their du-
ties and left this to Mr. Hewitt. Mr..
Hewitt put In such things as ne
thought a competent public utilities
commission should do and that these
things were about the same as those
contained in the ordinance the Munich
pal league was preparing at the same
time may have been coincidence and
it may not. Any how the two or
dinances were very similar.
Mayor to Choose Members
One point of difference Is that the
Municipal league ordinance provides
for a commission of three members,
who shall serve without compensa-
tion. They are authorized to select
an engineer, accountant and such 9TH
er expert assistants as they may need.
They are to be appointed by the mayor
and confirmed by the council.
But if the council succeeds in pass
ing it's weird and lifeless utilities ordi-
nance there are two things that must
be reckoned with. If it goes through
in the form it threatens to now the
council will probably have to pass it
again over the mayors veto, for while
the mayor has not expressed himself
on the matter, it is known he wants
an efficient ordinance. Should the
council pass it over the mayors veto,
and that will require seven of the
nine votes in the council, the Munich
pal league will Immediately begin to
circulate a petition to put its ordi-
nance on the ballot as an initiative
proposition.