Arizona republican., 1910-05-16
MR. CHALMERS PREDICTS NO LIGHT BONO ELECTION HIS RETURN YESTERDAY FROM
 WASHINGTON. But He Was informed That There Would Be Statehood This
 Session.

' morning from a hurried trip to Wash ington, of only ten days. Though Mir Chalmers was not at the national cap ital on statehood business. like all Ari- zUnians who return from Washington at this time. he spoke first of the pros pect of statehood
 He talked with several congressman and he was told that there was no doubt of the passage Of the statehood bill at this session. They said that the senate bill would be passed with in the next fifteen days from the time that Mir. Chalmers was at Washing ton, and that in all probability con- gress would be ready to adjourn on June I.
 However gloomy the prospect of statehood might have been d short time ago. the differences between the in surgents on one side and the regulars and administration on the other. have been adjusted to such an extent as to make reasonably sure the carrying out of the greater part of the administra tion legislative program.
 The matter which called Mr Chalm- CTS to Washington was the bill aU- thoriZing the tax payers of Phoenix to vote on proposition to bond the city for the acquiring or construction of an electric light plant. As the attorney for the Pacific Gas and Electric com pany. MT. Chalmers was on hand to show that there should not be an is sue for s500,000 or any other sum for such a purpose.
 He was given hearing before the committee on territories having charge of the bill. and he came away with an impression that the bill would not be reported. He told the committee that the municipal ownership sentiment here was based largely on the belief that the rates of the electric light com pany were too high The company did not believe that they were. but in or der that that question might be settled, he told the committee that the com pany had submitted a proposition to the city council for an entertainment whether the rates of the company were reasonable and plan to make them reasonable if they were found to be unjust.
 He presented to ,he committee the Goodrich letter to the company asking if it would be willing to permit d com mittee of expert engineers to investi gate its rates and to ascertain the re- ldtion Of the revenues raised by the rates to the investment. Mir. Chalmers also offered the letter of the company in reply in which it assented to the re- quest contained in the Goodrich letter and went further with the suggestion that a commission of three electrical and gas engineers. familiar with the subject of rates. be appointed to inves- tigate all matters concerning the af- fairs of the company The commission was to appraise the value of the prop erty of the company. have access to its books and to be put in possession of all facts relating to its business. If the commission should find that the rates were unreasonable it was to have power to revise the schedules. The city was to appoint one of these en- gineers. the company one. and these two. the third if they could agree: if not, the chief Justice of the territory should select the third. A third letter to the council. embodying the matter in the first two was also offered.
 Mir Chalmers said that this proposi ton made a very plain effect upon the committee which was strengthened by q showing of the already bonded in debtedness of the city of Phoenix, of S5s0 soc beside bonded indebtedness of s175.00O of the Phoenix school dis trict. not counting the city's part of the lately incurred bonded indebtedpess of s150,00O for the union high school district. Ii was also shown to the committee that the city was about to vote on proposition to issue bonds to the amount of s400.000 for the sewer system
 Congress. said MT Chalmers. in the present session has had so many appli- cations from the towns of the two ter ritories for permission to issue bonds for one purpose or another. that it was not very favorably disposed to the present application. and he said that he believed the bill would not have been reported if he had remained away from Washington.
 The journey both going and coming was T rainy one but the country every where was green and there was gen eral appearance of prosperity.