The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-11-12
{, CAMPF|ELD
IS RESTLESS
OVER DELAYS
He Thinks 1t Would Be Nice
to Allow the Companies
to Submit Their Self-made
Contracts.
CONTINUED from Page One)

bid, but we do not want two or three
years delay, as has been with the wa
ter works franchise. Some may at
tempt to explain that the delay of the
water works franchise, and by its
postponement causing a delay in the
gas franchise, is for the benefit of the
citizens of Richmond. We are unable
to see how these delays are beneficial.
The people who are footing the bills
and paying more for water and more
for gas than they should pay and the
property owners who are also paying
the highest rates of insurance certain
1y do not see it that way.
He Wants Square Deal.
If the proper franchise is prepared
and bids asked for many Of these ex
ira costs may be eliminated. We stand
ready to bid and give bond for the
above franchise, but we want a fair
DEAL and a franchise that is written
SO that it can be financed and be
workable.
If you are unable to agree on
franchise we suggest that you let the
bidders prepare one and submit it for
your approval
1t seems to us that the last proposed
franchise was written so that we could
not bid.
In preparing your proposals for
bids, If you will consider that it takes
two to make a contract and that a one
sided contract so proposed is only
waste of time and loss of money to
the people, and will also look over our
objections to the last proposed con-
tract and franchise dated October
2Sth, 1912, you can doubtless prepare
a proposition that will be acceptable.
But, on the other hand, If you
choose to ignore the bidders rights
and prepare writings to suit your own
ideas, whether same can be financed
or not, or whether same is workable
or not, in our opinion it will be done
for one purpose only-namely, to kill
competition.
No matter what has been said and
what has been done, from now on we
believe the peoples rights should be
given some attention.
Wants "Simple" Contract.
A simple contract and franchise is
all that is needed, just SOFT protects
the city and the contractors. But when
you undertake to add to this a profit
sharing scheme, assignment clauses,
unfair control of bond issue and an
unfair inventory of the company's
property, and other unfair clauses,
such as were in the last proposition,
you are adding direct and indirect
tax upon the people-First, by COM
polling the company to bid higher for
the hydrants than it should-Second,
by compelling the company to bid
higher for the domestic and CONNER
cial consumption than is necessary.
If you will think over the matter
carefully you will, no doubt, see that
to cucumber the proposal for bids
with unnecessary writings and de-
mands will have a tendency to in
crease prices. The stronger you pre-
pare the paper against company the
more you will be asked to pay. There
fore such demands by you are adding
a direct and indirect tax upon the
people of Richmond. The only way to
avoid it is to prepare your proposals
for bids without adding any unneces-
sary demands upon the bidding COM
panies. Under the circumstances we
do not believe we are out of order
when we ask you to hurry the new
writings and re-advertise for bids
whether We secure the new contract
and franchise or not.
Whenever the fire department is
called out think of that twenty inch
water main laid twenty eight years
ago, which does not exceed one-half
capacity needed at this time.