The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-11
Alton Miller Tells Why
PowerFranchise Should
Not Be Granted.
NO VOTE TAKEN
BY COMMITTEE
Electrical Contractors and Attor-
ney for Old Company's Local
Stockholders Oppose Richmond
and Henrico Petition-May
Send Report to Council
Wednesday Night.

l.Apert evidence introduced before
t-e Committee on streets last night
."o"cd that Richmond now enjoys a
general average Of iigAtiny and power
rates neurly 20 per cent. below that
- the iarser cities OF tnls country.
..itprne!s tor the Richmond and Hen
iIeo halfway Company. applying for
competing c.ectiIc .lBht ana power
't-Hrn.s., ,nu itprcseNtallI es OF tne
'-ii''" ha'iwny ana ROVER Company,
N'"'," Is hVM serFns tne conimun.t!.
] ',asniSh ,iideHuc a.lI aIh uIu.Hts.
-A!loH - H.iIivt, tO9n.cr president Of
to- 81 Louis Electric LIgni ana Iower
tVihI1n3. anu now an .Apcit consult
I"b .nsIn... IL. Hc.r AVsn CAY, put
"a wiIno.s Tor tce old cumpaa.
mere, stated tnat such st question
would not now b. taIscu III amy other.
Gay OF iHcnmonus SIZE east OF the
-M.aaissippi, duplication oil plants ana
!n' ! tn4t.tts having been found to be
tnwise ami against tho best pubic
I'olic\ argument ON the question
idst"d un'! n!dm.SEt. l'he comm ttcr
1cse TO meet tomorrow afternoon a.,
o'clock. wncn the proposed ordinance.
VII he considered BY secIions ana an
cIiort made to reach a final vote.
Association Opposes Grant.
communication w.. received from
the Elcctilcnl Contractors Association
Vi it'chnUnd declaring II To be the
unanimous opininon Of the membership
That the Organization would not bcne-
lit as contractors or as citizens by the
granting OF the proposed franchise ana
recommending that competitive
franchir. be granted so long as the
tNistlnS company serves the Held at
iair charges BY agreement. the de-
bate Was limited 10 one and one half
III, a 10
opened Tor the Richmond ana Henr!co
Company. going fully over the main
POINTS Vi contention.
Referring 10 The Service Talks"
which nave appeared as advertisements
In the newspapers, Mir. Kelley asserted
that no authority could be quoted in
favor OF an unregu!atcd monopoly.
II, claimed tHat public opinion wa
tne only regulation here, that III.
Legislature has the power to confer
Auch control in the hands OF the Cor
Torate Commission in regard 10 light
and power companies as distinguished
from transportation and transmission
companies, but has not so exercised 1t.
ard that the preset conpay is not now
required to sell TO any one, and may
serve whom it Will rs II pieases and
ON its own terms
Not Using IL a. Club.
No set OF men. however good. should
bo trusted with absolute power. he
held He denied with vchemcnce that
his company was seeking this fran
chise TO lie used as a club to force the
old company To bug it out. Admitting
that the street railway franchise had
been held eight years before 1t was
|cNercised. he maintained that the en-
tire time was diligently spent in at
tempting TO secure the needed capital.
and said his company had never offered
10 sell out at any time.
The road AS constructed, he admitted.
was too small to earn return on the
investment and the company now
sought only 10 sell surplus current TO
peoplc who desired to buy 1t. The
franchise. II granted. would expire In
|Io27, lasting only fifteen years III
We did not already have an invest
ment here no one would invest money
In u tiftecn-ycar franchise he assest-
cd Charging that amendments had
|heeu inserted in tho subcommittee
which would make II practically i'm
possible TO accept the franchlse' ne
offered an amendment to the clause
recurring that a certain proportion OF
the distribution system he completed
within eighteen months. tho amend
ment proposing that the company
shall mic n plan OF routes to be occu-
pied with the Street Committee
which may later diminish or enlarge
their T. %
begin in sixty days, and be compiet
=, in twelve months, and the commit
tec on streets will have power from
limo TO time to designate additional
rou,ee He also objected to amend
ments adopted by the subcommittee
recurring that certain proportion OF
tho distribution system be constructed
tefore the company made contracts
for current and to the clause naming
the elements OF arbitration.
Warned by Expert.
Henry ". Anderson, who appeared
for the Virginia Railway and Power
COMPANY. introduced Mr.. Miller, OF
the firm of Humphreys & Miller OF
New York, consulting engineers, and a
former RIchmonder born and raised
in this city, and brother OF DIT. =.
NJ Miller, of the committee. Mr.. NIL
Ter has had twenty-five years expert
cree with various gas and electric-com-
panies and is a recognized expert en-
sineer. He stated that in his expert
ence he had been with competing COM
pa MES on both sides. and was here to
dvise earnestly against the duplication
OF plants and franchises.
"This question would not now DO
raised In any other city of Richmonds
size east of the Mississippi" he asserted.
1T has been decided to be unwise and
against public policy and Is frowned
upon everywhere. 1t is in the power
OF the State to control not only the
service, but the investment and the
PROFITS.
II have made persona; investigation
OF the rates and service In Richmond
ond can testify that the rates are rea-
sonable and the service good. II ade-
ouate, control does not lie in the Cor
p n ~, Tee