Norwich bulletin., 1913-04-09

1 g2S
 municipality should have the same right The new bill makes the point | clearer.
 Contract With Uncas Power Go.
 Soon after the city plant was in | operation the Uncas Power company. 1 operated by water power in the town l of Scotland, offered to sell electricity ] to the city at less cost than the city could manufacture, and the city bought
 a part of the power of the Uncas com parry, while there was not specifically 1 the right to purchase. AS the Uncas ! company was short of power at the time, the city had to increase it's own l plant in order to supply customers, and 1 therefore the municipality at other l times has 6 surplus of electricity that l the city wanted to sell. In several in 1 stances the city plant had supplied l electricity to the WilIimantic company,
 and the receipts added materially to
 the city's income. and the bill would
 make certain the right to sell. The 1 Uncas company has the right to make contracts with the city, and the city was part of the contract to sell to others
 The board of commissioners. with the sanction of the court of common council, had the right to make pur- chase for the necessary increase Of the plant. and the electric department bad the right to purchase electricity from others. By the adoption of the
 
 all the rights of the old Norwich Gas and Electric company and the general situation would be clarified. Objects to Competition Privilege. Attorney Moorhouse. who said he represented the Uncas company, de- ciared that the language of the bill was too broad, and would put Nor wich in position to compete with party plants. He had no objection to what had already been done but it was not 1 1sr I,011 1,ga1
 eC by the taxpayers. in company with a party plant.
 Should Have Right to Sell MT Tanning said the city of Nor wich must furnish service to custom CTS, and that therefore it was neceS- pared for emergencies. and there must therefore be 8 spare unit. With all the machinery in operation, and with the electricity purchased from the Uncas company, there is a surplus that the city would like to sell. and could not do so unless there was some parry te take it. The company cannot go outside of the city of Norwich. Nor wich Town and Preston, and is con fined principally to the city of Nor wich. but if Willinantic or New Lon don were short and wanted more cleo tricity, Norwich should be permitted te sell to those cities.
 Mir. Tanning asked: What conpa- nies are Norwich in competition with
 Mir. Moorehouse replied that he did not know of any. but the language ot the bill was too broad.
 MT, Tanning said that it is plain that other companies may attempt to come into the Norwich territory, ac- cording to Mir Moorehouse. MT. Fan ming said the city of Norwich had paid $590.003 for the plant and spent a quarter of a million in improve ments, and he wanted to have the bus ir,ess of the city protected and the ten dency of other companies to come into the city checked. MT. Moorehouse can name no company with which Norwich is in com petition. but has some other concerns that are now in mist or imag- ination, and in that Norwich wants just the protection asked for in the bill.
 MT Moorehouse said Norwich had ample protection now, but should not nave rowing mission to compete with private companies.
 Mir Tanning said that if any com pany in existence can take the pro- duct there should be the right to sell The Norwich company cannot extend beyond the prescribed limits. but if others come to the limit line with wires the right to sell should prevail. Mir. Moorehouse's zeal for companies that are not in existence may come later and Norwich wants it's rights protected should such companies ma terialize If Norwich has a surplus and Willimantic wants it, Norwich will be glad to sell and get the money. He again urged upon the committee that Norwich was only asking for the rights that were given the old com pany. If Norwich was able to help others in the electric supply. no one strangle that right
 Representative King Takes Hand.
 Representative Kinp of the commit tee asked if the statement of MT. Fan ming was not correct?
 MT MoOrehouSe replied it was but the measure would bring a municipal ity into competition with private par ties. The language is too broad.
 MT. King handed MT. Moorehouse the bill and asked him to point out wherein the language was too broad.
 MT. Moorehouse replied that tha present charter was good enough. He said he could not point out the broad language immediately, but would be glad to prepare 8 substitute bill. He was informed that he need not trouble himself in that respect
 MT. King asked MT. Moorehouse if he would object had this bill been pre- Sented by the old Norwich Gas and Electric company. and Mir. Moorehouse replied that that would not be in the same class.
 MT. Tanning then showed to the the amounts expended by the city of Norwich. year by year. in the municipal plant. and the profits realized. The commissioners now plan the expenditure of $45.000 for a new gas container- So it will be seen that with all interest charges paid 8, profit remains. Last year the profit was S41 900, and there has been reauc- ton in price of gas from st.z5 to E 6 thousand feet and in electricity a reduction of from ten cents to eight cents per kilowatt. These profits have gone into the general improvements of the plant. The city ought to be per nitted to go on and make money to pay off the debt
 MT Tanning said the Uncas Power company should not do anything yo hamper or handicap the city of Nor Wich that had been the chief mainte- nance of that company. In closing MT. Tanning asked MT. Moorehouse if the Norwich plant was in competition V ith any ether gas and electric light and he replied that he did not think so.
 The hearing then closed and the gave expression in fa- vor of the proposed bill.
 FUNERALS.
 Mrs. William T. Case.
 Tuesday afternoon at 330 o'clock the funeral of Mary 4. Hood widow of l T. Case. was held with many lat ri in