The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-06-07

At one of the most dramatic meet
! ings ever held by the city council, that
| body Monday night adopted the re-
port of H. j. Doolittlc city engineer
! nd passed an ordinance adopting, as
outlined in this report, the plan for
| constructing. acquiring, maintaining
| and operating works, plants and IA
cilities for the purpose of furnishing
| the city of North Yakima and the
| inhabitants thereof, and any other
persons, with electricity for Lighting,
| heating, fuel and power purposes,
public and private" and calling an
election on July / for the purpose If
giving the voters OF North Yakima
| opportunity to vote on the PROPOSE
| ion and to bond the city for 100000
| o build the same. The ordinances was
| carried by a vote of six to one, the
dissenting member of the council be-
| ing A. G. Peasc, from the Fourth
ward.
In course of the debate on the mat
| ter which ensued and became acrim-
NOUS at times. the excitement and in
terest was heightened by the offer OF
pat. j. Lynch of the power site to the
city free of charge 1t was accepted
! by the council amid the deafcnlnS
heers of those present
An ordinance was also passed, pro-
viding for a west side drain, with an
outlet at the Northern Pacific cross
ing of the Schanno ditch, to cost $50,-
| 600 and calling for an election on
| July /. to secure the vote of the
ipeople on the question and on the ls-
suance of bonds to cover the cost
| of the same.
All Members Present
| All the members of the city coun-
| ell were present when Mayor SchotI
called the bodS to order IN judge
Preble's section Of the superior court,
nd All the seats back of the rail
were filled with Interested cltlzehS'
Sitting in the jury box We're Ira +.
EneIehart counsel General Manager
| davidson and Local Manager King
man of the Pacific Power and Light
company.
| Navo,, Schott at once called for the
reading of the ordinance providing
for a municipal lighting plant This
|
reading. and then City Engineer Doc
little read the report that ne had pre-
nared at the request OF the Guy couH-
ell. covering the cost and CONSTRUCTORS
of a plant, concluding with the leter
| of Endorsement of Il. ii. IhohSol''
! citv engineer of Seattle, one OIL the
Lea DING municipal engineers OF the
country, who had gone over the matter
| thoroughly. and who declared the
nlan outlined as feasible and prac-
teal.
| Committee of taxpayers
| T. NJ Smithers, one OF a commit
tee of ten taxpayers present arose
md stated that he had been requested
, to ask the council to deier paSslnS
the ordinance for thirty days in or
| der that the committee ana other clt-
LIENS might ascertain definitely Wheth-
err or not satisfactory adjustment
| of rates could be had from the Pa
loific Power and Light company. Theh,
ne said. if it were found this could
| not be had. they would give the coun-
| ell their hearty support in carrying
III through. This committee, Dr.
| Rarton was requested to state, con-
sisted of George Donald, as chairman
land l. r. Barton, f.. NJ Smithers,
George j. l.istman, j. l.. Nyman W.
i. Hughes. j. l.. James, John Weigel,
Walker Moren and w NJ. Bell.
col. Moren on behalf of the com
mittee. called attention of the council
70 the public utilities commission, the
IIaw providing which was enacted by
the last Legislature and which is now
n elect. This commission, he said,
lhad the power to adjudicate rates as
lhetween such companies as the Pa
! cific Power and Light company ana
the consumers whenever the latter
1 felt the rates were unfair and UNI
reasonable
Councilmen Carver, Brown and
Shaw questioned the right of the city
TO take advantage of this law I'D
view of the city franchise, but con-
Moren declared it had been upheld by
the courts, and that the decision OF
the commission in regard to any rate
question would be binding until il was
reversed by the supreme court.
Mayor Wanted 10 Know
Mavor Schutt asked whether the
Icom mission in considering the rates,
i would base them on the two plants
iof the company-thc one on the Ma
lrhes river. in addition 10 thc one ON
line Columbia river-and Col Morcn
lreplied that he did not believe
They would do the wrong thing.
p J. Lunch said he believed now
Twas the time. that this was Il stcp
lin the right direction and why not
llal.e II Tho biz taNRaNers. he sAId.