The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-07-03
NEW GAS CONTRACT
MET The APPROVAL
OF CITY OFFICIALS
Franchise For Natural Gas
Service Will Now Be Ad-
vertised 2 Weeks.
is PRESENTED TO-DAY
Light, Heat and Power Co.,
Still Hopeful of Closing
Deal For Commodity.
is PRESENTED TO-DAY

it's way" At a meeting of the board
of public works this morning the pub
lie service corporation committee of
the Commercial Club presxated
draft of a contract for natural gas,
which the committee, City Attorney
William A. Bond and representatives
been working on for over two weeks.
The committee and the company ac-
cepted the revised contract last night
and it was approved by the board
of public works today.
Under the new utilities law the con-
tract will be advertised in the daily
papers for a period of fifteen days,
after which time public hearing will
be held to see If there are any OBJ
jections to the contract as drawn.
Goes to Utilities Board.
In the meantime, the city attorney
will go before the utilities commission
at Indianapolis and ask that permis-
sion be given to the city to grant the
franchise to the Allegheny Gas COM
pany. Then, after the public hear
ing, which has been set for July 81, the
city council will take action on the
contract by passing resolution ap-
proving the action of the board. The
contract then becomes effective.
Through the two weeks publicity
feature and the public hearing both
the Commercial Club committee and
the board of public works members
feel that If there are still any objec-
| tionable points in the contract they
can be discovered and eliminated be-
fore final action is taken.
In presenting the contract to the
board, Henry Gennett, chairman of
the committee. stated that "the COM
mittee had been meeting with the
city attorney and hesrepresentatives
of the company for over two weeks,
and had thrashed out the contract,
section by section" he said, THE
contract presented was. in the opinion
of the committee, protective to the
city, and, at the same time a means
of saving an immense sum to the cit
izens of Richmond"
Recommended by Bond.
| City Attorney Bond made the state
ment that he believed the board should
adopt the contract in its present form.
as it's features had been thoroughly
discussed, and that the contract as 1t
| now stands is fifty per cent better
than any contract the city has with
any other public service corporation.
/ The contract was read to the board
section by section, and after the read.
ing, Mayor Zimmerman said he was
| entirely satisfied with the proposal
and that he thought the board should
proceed to follow the recommends.
| ton of the Commercial Club commit
tee. He said that he thought the saw
ing in the price of gas to the citizens
of Richmond would more than offset
any few points which the committee
| failed to have incorporated in the con
tract. s.s-.. .......
The contract in its present form is
with the exception OF a few minor
changes, almost word for word as
! drafted by. City Attorney Bond to
gether with the members of the clut
committee.
The contract provides for gas al
40 cents. 35 cents and 80 cents pei
thousand cubic feet, according to the
quantity of gas consumed.
/ Gus Condo, attorney for the ALE
gheny Gas company, and the repre-
lsentatives of the Commercial Clut
committee were present at the meet
ing of the board.
L., II. e. p. Men Still Hopeful.
/ Officials of the Light, Heat and Power
company in the east have not given III
hope OF closing a deal with the ALE
gheny company to secure control o.
the natural gas service in Richmond
/ despite the progress made in the Al
1egheny company's negotiations will
the city for franchise. 1t was point
ed out today that under the franchise
approved by the board of public work.
today, the Allegheny company coult
lease it's contract rights to some othe
lcompany, and it was hinted that as
i last recourse the local company nigh
take advantage of this loophole
Should the Allegheny company re
fuse to close a deal with the Light
Heat and Power company, 1t Is gen
orally believed that the latter com
pany will suspend it's artificial ga
iservice, for the company has Away,
maintained that even at the presen
rate, s1.10. the artificial gas bushes
has lost money for the company /
is very probable, however. in sucl
Ievent, the company would still continu
in the electric lighting and power busi
ness, which has been fairly profitable
TUE WE