Norwich bulletin., 1916-01-29

Since the first of January. when the board of gas and electrical commis- sioners held a meeting at which a new contract for electrical power to be JTncas Power company was brought before the board there has been a split in the five members of the board of commissioners, to 2.
 Opposing the signing of such a con- tract have been D. T. Shea and Vice President Charles E. Whitaker. while on the other side were President James J. Donohue. Secretary A. s. Spalding and David s. Gilmour The new contract proposed was to be at where the old contract had been at 1 cent.
 Since then a contract for the short CT term of 8 years has been a develop rnent of the situation and it was the expectation on Friday that this con- tract would be under consideration at a meeting of the board to be held to- night (Saturday), though President Donohue stated on Friday evening that there was no certainty that such a meeting would be held. for they want ed everyone present at the meeting and there was one member of the board who was out of town and might not get back today.
 If there were such a meeting, the president of the board stated, he pre- stunned the eight year contract would | be discussed.
 Three Names Would Make Binding. President Donohue said he consid- cred that if three names were signed | to the contract it would be a binding one on the city though he said there was nc new contract in force now. He denied that there had been any threat possible suit against the city for breach of contract on account of the | contract which was once signed by a majority of the board but from which the names of MT. Spalding and | Mir. Gilmour were subsequently punch ed out following a vote directing this which was taken at a meeting of the board.
 The proposition for a new contract | was first rendered, it was stated on | Friday on reliable authority, at the meeting of the board which was held on Saturday evening, January l, al | which Attorney c. w. Comstock rep resenting the Uncas Power com- | pany rendered the new contract. The price named in it was II cents per kilowatt and the term for twen- ty years. When it came to be pre- sented to MT. Shea he discovered the 20 year term and at once declared that he would not agree to contract fol such a long term. When he wal
 
 of the board was going to vote for thu
 contract, be took up his hat and coa
 and told them that if they did so i
 would be in his absence for he woulC
 never be a party to such a contract.
 At that he was given opportunity u
 state his reasons which he did by say ing that it was not so much the pric'
 that he objected to as to the 20 yea
 clause as he considered that this wa
 an age of development of the electric
 al business and no one could tell wha
 would be the source of electric powe
 twenty years from now and he did no consider the commission would be do ing right by the city to tie 1t up fo
 so long a period as was in this con
 tract. MT. Shea claimed that as a publi
 servant having regard for the best in terests of the city. he could never fac
 the storm of investigation that he fel sure would be aroused when the new of the 20 year contract at an advance l price became known.
 This was met by the statement O the part Of one member of the majori 1 ty that when the contract was signe
 it would go into the safe and no on
 would ever know about it.
 Disclosed Another Bidder. It also developed that the Shor
 Line Electric Railway company ha
 approached President Donohue and Su e perintendent s. J. Kehoe with som I sort of tentative proposition to fur [. nish the city with electric power. Thi V was news to other members fth