The courier-index., 1917-12-07

continent Consolidated Oil and IJtili
 ties Company, organized under the
 laws of New York That tte com
 pany operates under several names
 Tn different states; that it is rated
 Tn Dunn's and Bradstreet's at S2.OOO.- oO0' that 1t has plants in Oklahoma ] lexas, Iowa, and is now supplying
 current through high power trans lnlss1on lines to ozark Mulberry
 Alma, Spadra, Clarksville, Paris. Su
 Dlaco and several other towns in western Arkansas. He offered to
 nave bankers telegraph to members
 or the council attesting the financial
 responsibility of the company. He
 stated very frankly his company had
 decided to invade the territory now
 occupied by the Arkansas Light & l FoWer Company, and that he was
 plcKlng the places where he had
 reason to believe the service and the
 rates were unsatisfactory He said 1 1T ne had found the Arkansas Light
 & Power Company was giving good | service at reasOn;v.1c rates and that l the consumers were satisfied with l what they were getting he would
 not ask for franchise. He said it was game of freeze-out. and that
 II the council would grant his com | pany the right to enter Marianna. l the citizens here would get better lights and power at substantial saw lngs. He told the council there was l but one question for it's members to determine; if they were convinced the people of Marianna were satis- fled with what they are now getting in the way of service given and the prices charged by the Arkansas Light & Power Company they would be justified in turning down his appli- cation for a franchise. If, upon the other hand they knew the people were not satisfied with the service and rates given by the Arkansas Light & Power Company, they should in fairness to the people whom they represent give his company the right tc enter the local field. He offered to amend his franchise if objections were found to any of it's provisions. He stated his company was granted a franchise by the Stuttgart city
 council on Monday night of this week
 and that the Citizens Service Com
 pany will enter into competition with
 the Arkansas Light & Power Com
 pany in that city.
 The council decided to let the ordi-
 nance remain on the calendar and will give it further consideration at the next meeting to be held on the first Tuesday night in January.
 In discussing the matter yesterday with the editor of the Courier-Index, MT. Brader said:
 'l can see no reason in the world why the city council should refuse to let my company do business in Marianna. I am prepared to furnish conclusive evidence of our financial reliability. I would be glad if mem bers of the council or interested cit izens would communicate with citi- zens of any of the towns or cities in western Arkansas and eastern | Oklahoma where we operate public utilities and find out from them how we serve the people. 1 cannot imag- inc city council acting as a guar dian for public utility, especially so when l find, upon investigation. that the public utility company in question has been and is now giving unsatisfactory service at excessive rates. If another company wanted to come to Marianna and establish a competing ice plant no doubt every citizen, including members of the council, would welcome it. and that ! too in spite of the fact that the present ice plant is one of the best l I have seen in a small city in Ark | ansas. and apparently is being eff ficiently operated and is serving all the local demands. Marianna has | four banks-as many as city this size ought to have. Yet if outside capitalists should conclude that this | was an inviting field for them to in l vest their money in fifth bank I do not doubt such investment would be welcomed by the people. l am here asking for a franchise-not an exclusive franchise-just the right to invest large sum of money in an | up-to-date and thoroughly efficient | electric light and power plant. My company obligates itself in the fran | chise never to charge in excess of | twelve cents per killowatt for do- | mestic service We offer a saving of | more than five cents per killowatt to seventy five per cent Of the people now using electric lights We offer f to give the people a commodity that | has grown to be an actual necessity almost as much so as food and | wearing apparel-and we are offer ing to supply this commodity at pri- ces that mean immense savings to a large majority of those using this commodity With this view of the | situation I must confess l cannot see any reason why we should be denied | the right to enter this field. If we have made up our mind to make a [ big investment here and probably operate at a loss until the best com pany survives, that is our business. Certainly we can do the citizens no harm. I have been told that a ma jority of the people here do not want a competing electric light and power company I will place $1,OOO in any bank in Marianna and will pay all 4ho oxnansas of an election. and If