Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-05-23
IT'S IN THE FRANCHISES.
Brief Summary Of What Grantees Arc
Bound 70 Do For the Public.

Brief Summary Of What Grantees Arc
Bound to Do For the Public.
We are bound in our franchises to do
the following things if they are adopted
bv vote Of the people and accepted by
us:
To provide new and better street
cars and TO operate them on the pres
ent line on a nine minute schedule on
Main street instead of twelve minutes.
and on an eighteen minute schedule on
the Third street, soldiers home line
and on all new extensions except the
CITY park line, instead Of twenty-four
minutes as at present.
To extend the street railway to the
city park and to the fair grounds with
in the first year and over the proposed
viaduct to May street or farther as
soon as the viaduct is built.
To build within Ave years at least
one and a half miles Of extensions in
addition to the city park. fair grounds
and viaduct lines. and in any part Of
the city which we may decide.
To make an electric light rate -
your people which is approximately
equivalent to a fiat rate of ~ cents per
k. " n, which is lower for residence
lighting than your city council fixed
in the Hull ordinance. lower than was
offered in the Darling franchise and
almost half the present rates charged
on an average.
To give you 81 gas next January
without a law suit and without making
YOU wait four years for 1t as was once
proposed in a franchise which you re-
jected
To make you rate for electrical
power which is lower than your pres
ent rates and lower on many classes
of consumption than was fixed in either
the Hull ordinance or in the Darling
franchise ordinance.
To furnish your city electrical power
for operating its pumping station and
arc street lights at 2A cents per k W. h.
which is about half your present cost
To furnish your city current for
electrolier lighting at cents per k. W,
which is very much lower than the
present contract in force.
We are bound to keep these rates in
force for five years. after which time
we are bound in our franchise to give
your city council access to all Of our
books and records once each year and
| the statutes of Iowa now give to city
councils full authority to fix rates. II
our earnings will permit of any reduct-
tons in rates your council will then be
able 10 know II and to fix a rate which
! we will be unable to contest success
fully in court did we so desire.
|. We are bound to leave on a spindle
at each meter a copy of each meter
reading so the customer will have some
| check on us in the bills we render and
we are bound in the franchises to give
| the city council the right to test any
meter without charge by us to the pat
ron and with a correction or rebate or
| his bills for three months back II ouI
meter proves to be incorrect.
The council reserves the right in
each and every ordinance to cancel, re-
peal and revoke il if we fail to build the
street car extensions specified so we
| would lose our gas franchise and oul
electric light and power franchise az
we'll as our street railway franchise
| il we failed TO Duiid the extensions.
| It is expressly set out in all the fran
chises that they are not to be con-
| strued as being exclusive. but the city
reserves the right to grant other fran
c.ises on the same streets to anyone
else wanting to compete with us II
gas, electric light. power or street rail-
way business which. of course means
that the city could operate utility ser.
vice of its own at any time it should
so desire Bows. Smith. Reed and Cook