The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-07-21
Franchise For Allegheny
Company to Be Sent to
Council Tonight.
BIG PUBLIC MEETING
Representative Citizens Met
With Board-BaviS Is
Not Satisfied.

The only formal protest to the grant.
ing of a franchise TO the Allegheny
Natural Gas company was filed today
by the Richmond Light. Heat and
Power company at the public hearing
on the franchise. held at the city
building, as required under the new
utilities law. The board of works re-
fused TO give the protest any consid-
Grafton on the grounds that the OBJ
jections were not valid.
After the hearing the contract was
signed by the board and will be pre-
sented to council. which meets tonight.
If council takes favorable action to-
night the application will be made to-
morrow to the public utility commits
sion.
At exactly o'clock the board of pub
lie works, the members of the public
service corporation committee of the
Commercial club, the representatives
of both the local gas company and the
Allegheny company and a good sized
crowd of representative citizens as
sembled in the council chamber to dis
cuss the granting of franchise TO the
Richmond with 40 cent natural gas.
l., n. & p. to Take Permit.
At the opening of the meeting VIII
fred Jessup. attorney for the local COM
pany, presented two copies of a for
NAL protest against the granting OF
the franchise, stating that the objec-
tions they had to offer were embodied
in the communication. He also pre-
sented a copy of the notice to the pub
lie utility commission that the Light.
Heat and Power company has accept
ed the indeterminate permit in lieu of
the present franchise. which has ex-
pired.
In the protest of the local company
it is claimed that at the time the city
started the negotiations with the other
company, the L., III. and p. company
tried to make contract with the Lo-
gan company, but il could not get q
price from them that would permit the
retailing of the gas at a profit. The
protest states that the best price they
were able to get was % cents per 1000
cubic feet for domestic consumers and
81 cents for commercial consumers,
and this price only when a very great
quantity was used. !
Excessive Rates Alleged.
The protest charges that the price
offered is above the rate named in the
contract which the Logan company
has with Marion and Muncie The
protest also states that it would mean
a loss of 65.00O.00 for the first three
years If the local company was COM
PEELED to pay the price asked of il byN
the natural gas company for its pro-
duct.
The local company filed the protest
as a taxpayer. II claims that the new
company must tear up the streets and
that its contract with the city will not
insure continued supply of gas.
The Light, Heat and Power COM
pany also asks in its protest that
amendments be made to the proposed
contract with the Allegheny company
which would specify the quality and
pressure and to show reliable evil
dence that il has offered to the local
company as 10 wa price as TO COM
panies in other Indiana cities. The
local company also requests that some
provision be made in the contract to
supply the city with artificial gas
when the natural gas gives out
Following Mr.. Jessup the proposed
contract was read section by section
and the citizens present were called
on to express their opinion on the gas
proposition
Benham and Bavis.
nr
respond. stating that he was in favor
OF 40 cent gas. that he believed the
city should not turn down a single
commodity which it was possible to
obtain He said that he thought the
contract should be accepted
DR.. Benham was followed by Alfred
Bavis. who said that he was present
to represent the 500 men at the Hoos-
ier Drill company, where he worked.
He said that he had gone to the shop
to work and the men had requested
him to come To the meeting and pro-
tect the citizens against the entangle-
ments in the proposed franchise He
said that he was not opposing 40 cent
gas. but was against some of the pro-
visions
Mr.. Bavis objected to the word
value" claiming that the word cost"
should be substituted; also because
some provisions were made subject to
the Utility Commission while others
were not; also that proper provision
was not made for the repairing of the
streets.
S. E Swayne and City Attorney VIII
Bond answered Mr.. Bavis, stating that
there were many provisions which the
committee and the city would like to
have had included in the contract, but
il was impossible to obtain all of the
concessions Mr.. Swayne said that the
entire contract was made subject to
the will of the Commission and there
fore the city would be protected
Charles Jordan Speaks
Charles w Jordan. secretary of the
Commercial Club reviewed the work