Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-01-15

COMPANY PLANS
HeConochie Says Street Car Cor
pOrati0n Got Franchise Under
False PTetenses.
PEOPLE VOTED PRIVILEGE
Claim Utilities Commission VIII Be
Party to Fraud if it Grants
Pare Increase.

The 20-year franchise obtained
BY the TRICKY Railway company
with the consent of the voters
June %, last. for the operation o.
a line from the former city limits
at Eighteenth avenue 20 the pres
ent southern city limits, Is branded
as having been secured unde2
false pretenses by the company by
Mayor william McCono rnie in 4
letter to Robert l.. Watson OF
AIedo. secretary of the Home Rule
Municipal league, which is fight
ing The Illinois state public util-
tiles commission act. The leaIU"
was formed at Il meeting held II
Peoria several weeks tsO wEen
representative OF many cities
throughout the state were present.
Mayor McConochie go-s farther
and states thai if the utilities COM
mission grants the petition OF the
street car company for d 7-cent
fare the commission will prove it
self Il party to the fraud
The mayor IN his letter. which
was written on request that he
give an outline o. the objections to
THE utilities commission from the
standpoint Of the experience OF
this city. gives certain facts con
corning the raising of gas rates as
well as data regarding the street
car situation.
Text of Experience.
A portion OF the letter is ap-
pended:
THE experience of This city
with the ac,, and the commission
as we'll, has been far from salts
factory. About two years ago, the
company supplying this community
with light and power. voluntarily
reduced our gas from 81 to s.
c.nts, and when, less than a year
afterwards, the company wanted
the 81 rate restored, on the city's
refusal to consent to the increase,
the matter was brought before the
commission.
'Thon sensued remarkable
thing. The chief engineer Of the
commission was ordered TO make
q valuation of the property of the
utility in the cities of Rock Island.
Moline and East Moline. On ouT
second trip to Chicago at a hear
ing before the commission, the en-
gineer who was the courts owT
witness. delivered himself of the
opinion, after a lengthy recital,
that the gas supplied by the util-
ity was costing it more than the
increased rate that it wa asking
or in his opinion about $1.06. In
other words. the gas was costing
the company more at the burner
than it was asking for in the new
rate. Needless to say tn : increase
was granted. 1 ask yOU-Is any
comment necessary as to The
value and honesty of such exper,
valuation? If the engineer of the
commission was honest. the offic
ers of the utility were fools. How
ever, they have shown no Other
evidences OF fOolishness.
In July. 1918, our street car
utility applied for a 20-year fran
Milan line in this city, a line 80
or 35 blocks long and reaching
their principal amusement park.
The ordinance provided for a ,
cent fare. At an election the
people approved the ordinance
Yet. within two months the CON-
pany HIed peItlOn asking an In
crease to Z cents on all it's lines,
including the one just granted. /
say this franchise was obtained by
false pretenses, and the commits
sion, if it allows an increase is a
party to this fraud on the people.
My honest opinion is that the
only effective way to restore home
rule, and give municipalities the
right to regulate the utilities that
SO vitality affect the lives of their
citizens, is by repeating the util
tiles act"