The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-06-08

viii readily recall that the street rail.
way and electric lighting business in
the city OF Keokuk has never been a
financial success. And that those
VINO take franchises for such purposes
are to be pitied more than envied.
Years ago James H. Anderson Sc
cured a franchise for street rail
way ana lost nearly every cent he
mad ever earned in trying to operate
IL and finally was compelled to give 1t
up Later one Townsend assisted by
local citizens secured franchise for
street railway and electric power
plant and it resulted in bankrupting
him and the local citizens who were
interested with him, and Mr. ]. C.
Hubinger purchased the plant and
equipment at foreclosure sale.
We all know that the late J. C.
Hubinger never made any money out
OF his street railway system or electric
lighting plant and sometime before his
death was compelled to dispose of
/ same because he could not afford to
continue to maintain and operate them
at loss.
And when we are asked to grant a
franchise to responsible people for a
street railway and an electric lighting
plant, we are rather giving an elephant
than giving an. thing of value and can
only hope that the parties who get
such franchise may be able in the
future to operate same with some
| degree of success
| Some criticism has been made OF
| the proposed franchises on the theory
| that same are more liberal than the
| existing franchises. A comparison OF
| the two franchises will convince any
one who is willing to be convinced that
this is not correct. That the proposed
franchises are much less liberal than
the existing franchises.
The existing electric light franchise
/ is very short and unrestricted. Sec.
tions one, two, three, four and five
! are substantially the same as in the
1 proposed franchises. The existing
/ franchise requires the company tc
furnish the city sufficient lights in all
the city buildings and fire stations as
the city council may designate The
/ proposed franchise gives the city six
hundred incandescent lights, more
THAI are now used under the presen,
franchise, and more than the city will
use for many years to come And In
| addition furnish the city council cur
rent for necessary police signals and
fire alarms.
The existing franchise gives the city
no right to hereafter regulate the
rates to be charged to private con
sumers of light and power. The pro
/ posed franchise gives the city council
the right to require the lighting com
pany to furnish any person with light
and power along the lines of it's wires
and to supply the city with light and
power for all necessary public pur
poses and the right to regulate anc
fix reasonable charges for electric
i light or power meters or other de
/ vices or means necessary for determ
/ lining the consumption of electric 'ight
or power.
A comparison of the existing stree
railway franchise and the proposed
street railway franchise shows ever
more favorahly in favor of the pro
posed franchise, Under the existins
franchise there is no restrictions
whatsoever in regard to the operation
of freight cars. Such cars could be
operated at all times and on al
streets, while under the proposed
franchises such cars can only be oper
ated between the hours of 10 p. m
and a. m.
Under the existing franchise the