The courier-index., 1918-01-04
COUNCIL REFUSES
FRANCHISE TO new
ELECTRIC COMPANY
BY VOTE OF TWO FOR AND FOUR
AGAINST CITIZENS SERVICE
COMPANY DENIED RIGHT TO
OPERATE PLANT HERE.


council at the regular meeting on
Tuesday night OF this week finally
and definitely disposed of the ordi
nance introduced at the meeting in
December granting to the Citizens
Service Company of Muskogee, Okla,
franchise to contruct and operate
an electric light and power system
in this city.
Aldermen r. D. Smith and ]. l..
Isaacs voted for the ordinance, and
Aldermen r. l.. Nixon, W. P. Harris,
d. S. Clark and Max d. Miller voted
agaiKst the ordinance.
r. R. Brader of Muskogee, Okla,
representing the Citizens Service
Company, came to Mariana more
than month ago, and after making
a canvass of the business portion of
the city and comforting at length
with the citizens became convinced
the majority. of the patrons of the
Arkansas Light and Power Company
were disgusted with the poor service
given and the, high rates charged,
and decided this was a good field
for competing light and power sys-
tenn He had presented to the coun-
Gil an ordinance granting his COM
pany fifty-year franchise, and in
the franchise he set out the scale OF
rates, the maximum rate never to
exceed twelve cents per killowatt
The rates for both light and power
were considerably lower than the
rates charged by the Arkansas Light
and Power Company. When the
ordinance was presented at the De.
cember meeting no action was taken
At the meeting on Tuesday night
of this week Mr. Brader presented
another ordinance as substitute
for the one offered in December. In
the substitute ordinance he included
in the franchise a clause giving con-
sumers a discount of ten per cent
on bills paid by the tenth of the fol-
lowing month, and. another clause
providing for municipal ownership
of his plant, the city to have the
right to exercise the option to pur-
chase his system at the end of the
first ten years, and at the end Of
each five year period thereafter, the
purchase price to-. be determined by
three electrical engineers, one to be
selected by the company, one by the
city. and the two engineers so select
ed to choose the third engineer.
At the meeting Tuesday night re-
ports made by Bradstreets Mercan-
tile Agency were read, showing the
Citizens Service Company is backed
by ample capital, that it is sub
sidiary company of the Mid Continent
Consolidated Oil and Utilities Com
pany of New York, and that in the
towns and cities of Western Arkan-
sas and Eastern Oklahoma where 1t
is operating plants it is giving salts
faction. A, letter from Muskogee
banker was also read by Alderman
Clark, stating the men who control
the Citizens Service Co. are reputable
and financially able to carry out
their contracts and that they stand
high in business circles in Oklahoma
Following the reading of the re-
ports and letter Alderman Smith,
seconded by Alderman lsaacs, moved
the rules be suspended and the
ordinance put on its second and
third readings. All the aldermen
voted for these motions. Alderman
Smith then moved the passage or
the ordinance. Alderman lsaacs sec
onded the motion. Upon roll call
these two members were the only
ones voting for the ordinance. the
other four members voting in the
negative
When this ordinance was disposed
of Manager Harris of the Arkansas
Light and Power Company was
quizZed with reference to the con-
dition of the local plant. He admit
ted the boiler capacity was insuffic-
lent in that both boilers had to be
crowded to the maximum TO keep
the service at an efficient stage,
and stated that the service got poor
each time it was necessary to 40
any work on either of the boilers.
1t developed that the boilers now IN
use were used by j. NJ. Hewitt many
years ago when he operated the
plant. 1t is stated they are old, and
nearly worn out and that they are
patched up and that the deteriora-
tion in the future will be more pro
nounced than in the past, which
means that the service will not pc
improved. Mr. Harris admitted that
so far as he knew his company mad
not ordered any new boilers. he
said in his judgment it would take
at least six months to get new boil
ers even if an order was placed now