The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1911-01-27
CONSIDER FRANCHISE
SOUTHERN POWER co
ENGINEER MILLMORE PRESENTS
FRANCHISE DESIRED.
Council Appoints Committee to lnVes'
tigate Matter and Report on
February Z.

tigate Matter ana report Oh
February Z.
Civ council on Tuesday night, after
hearing Mr.. Albert Millmore, of Char
lotte, engineer of the mill power de-
partmynt of the Southern Power COM
nan7. who came before council seek
inc q franchise for his company, and
after Tearing al opinion from City At
tornev Eugene S. Blease which was
requested by council, appointed COM
mittee to look into and Investigate the
matter thoroughly and to report to
meeting of council to be held on Tues
dav night, February 7. This commit
tee is composed of Mayor J. j. Lang
ford and Aldermen Jno. W. Earhardt
and Clarence T. Summer. The city at
torney did not express himself as op-
posed to the franchise, but in so I'M
portant a matter his advice was that
council should thoroughly understand
the matter before going into contract
which would be binding upon the town
for sixty years.
Material for Sub.StatiOn Here.
The Southern Power company has
the material here for erecting It's SUD-
station, and if the franchise is granted
will Immediately select site and be-
gin the work of construction. Tine
company has contracts to furnish
power for the Mollohon mill, the Oak
land mill-now in process Of construc-
ton, and for the new addition to the
Nevberry mills. Mr.. Millmore stated
to a representative of The Herald and
News that the line had been built this
>vav as far as Mt. Tabor, between Un-
ion and Whitmire, and it was hopeo
it would reach Newberry by April l.
Mill Presidents Present.
The three presidents of the mills IL
New5erry, Messrs. Wright, Summer
and Hunt, also appeared before coun-
Gil urging the granting OF the iran
chise.
Power Company'S Representative.
The franchise proposed by the
Southern Power company, and Wnlcn
was asked of council on Tuesday
night, is published in full hereWltn'
Mr.. Millmore stated to council tnaI IL
was not the policy of the company 70
nav for franchises In the towns II oe-
sired to enter, because the company
wanted to feel that it was welcome,
and because the company felt that its
entrance into a town could not but
greatly aid in the material upbulldlng
oz that town. He said he was very
ANXIOUS to have council act at once
upon the matter, if it could. He did
mot want council to refuse to grant the
franchise, however, asking if council
should view it unfavorably that he be
allowed to withdraw it. He said the
s,omnanv would not desire the pro-
posed franchise changed in any ma
terial particular. The Southern Pow
.er company, he said, was very anxious
TO come into Newberry, but did not
feel that it ought to pay for the prlVll-
.ege, and would not do 50.
Mr.. Millmore said that it was not
the intention of his company to COM
pete with the city lighting plant.
Statement by City Attorney Blease.
City Attorney Blease was requested
~ council to express his view OF the
matter. He stated that the proposed
franchise had only been in his hands
for a few hours. He said that person
ally he had no objection to the South
ern Power company coming here, and
that if the least adTanta@" was 10 be
derived by the town he wanted them
here. But this was a very important
matter. The Southern Power company
was a very large corporation, and II
was asking the town council Of New
berry to grant it rights which belong
ed to the people of Newb2rry. He said
that if any member OF council was ask
ed to sign a contract binding himself
individually for sixty years, he would
hesitate considerably and study the
matter very thoroughly before he
would enter into such a contract, and
it was proper for council. represent
ing the people of the town, to give 1t
more thought than they would II 1t