The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-06-21
BOND PREPARES A
DRASTIC CONTRACT
FOR NATURAL GAS
Almost Complete Authority
Over Company Given to
the City Government.
TO PRESENT 1T SOON
Provides State Commission
Shall Stipulate Purchase
Price of Plant.

Mayor Zimmerman has In the
past year stated his opposition to
granting the Light. Heat 4 Power
company new franchise rights for
furnishing electric light and pow
er. when its present contract ex-
pires in 1915. However. he would
not offer opposition to fair prop
osition by that company 10 fur
nish natural gas. he declared
today.
IF the Light, Heat & Power
company will accept a natural
gas contract which will thorough
ly protect the rights OF the people
of Richmond and provide fair
rates l would be in favor OF let
ting the company have such a
contract" the mayor stated. II
don't want the streets of the city
torn up and this would be unnec-
essary If the Light. Heat & Pow
er company would supply natural
gas under the kind of a contract
have described. IL the company
won't accept such a contract
would favor letting any other re-
liable company take ii over. even
at the expense of having the
streets torn up. Richmond wants
cheap gas of standard quality and
pressure and wants ii badly"
The second step in the negotiations
for natural gas in Richmond was tar
ken yesterday afternoon when city at
torney William A. Bond presented to
the public service corporation COM
mittee of the Commercial club a coun-
ter draft of a franchise containing the
terms which would be satisfactory to
the city.
Neither the city attorney nor the
committee were satisfied with the pro-
posed franchise of the Allegheny Gas
company. which was presented on
Wednesday by K. C. Krick and Gus
Condo, the representatives of the COM
pany.
At the request of the committee the
city. attorney has prepared another
franchise, which will be presented to
the representatives of the company at
a meeting to be held either wednes-
day or Thursday of next week. In the
meantime the committee will meet
and consider the franchise section by
section.
1t is not known whether the ALE
gheny Gas company will agree to all
of the provisions of the contract, but
In the opinion of the city attorney the
draft is made broad enough to protect
both the city and company against any
contingency that might arise.
Summary of Franchise.
A summary of the franchise is as fol
lows:
Section PROVIDES for the laying
and removing of mains only under the
supervision of the Board OF Works
Provides for supplying gas Eight inch
main where pipe line enters city.
Before any work is started a maj
shall be made showing the location
and size of each main. the map to be
submitted to the board OF works.
Section 2-Gives the company the
right to purchase or lease, with the ap
proval OF the board of public works,
any or all of the mains or equipment
of the r. L. II. and p. Co., or its as
signs, providing the company files with
the city complete statement as to
the cost, actual value and inventory
Of the physical property which is to be
purchased or leased
Section 3-The company cannot
lease. sell or assign any of the pro-
visions of this contract without the
approval of the city.
Section 4-The company shall con-
struct service pipes to the property
line. consumers TO lay pipes balance
Of way. Cutoff to be placed at or near
property line.
Can Order Extensions.
Section 5-City may order exten-
sions where there is at least one con-
sumer for each 100 feet of main on an
average
City may also order mains laid pre-
Fious to construction of a permanent
street.
Section 5-All mains and pipes to be
aid under supervision of the city en-
yineer. and the company shall keep
streets in repair for one year.
II the streets are not properly re-
paired the city may make repairs and
collect from company.
Section Protects the city from
of company or employees.
Section S-The company shall have