Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-04-06
M'GIbB0NY AL0NE: OPPOSES INCREASE
 IN WATER CHARGE:
Council Grants Request to Boost Minimum l5
 Cents
ORDIN ANCE TO MAKE
 LOWEST NINETY CENTS
Couch Declares Raise Necessary--- Salaries of Three City Ofi- cials Also Go Higher--As-
 seSs More Streets

sharp dissenting note by Alder man MeGlbbony was the feature of la discussion by the city council last night of an ordinance authorizing the Pine Bluff company to charge a minimum monthly water rate and minimum monthly light rate of go cents each. The ordinance was adopted with but one aldcrman-4Mc- Gibbony-~votng against it. Alder man McBryde was absent The pres- ent minimum monthly rate is 75 cents.
 II. C. Couch, president of the Pine Bluff company. attended by his at- torney F. G. Bridges. made state- ment in which he said increased cost of operations, including the higher cost of labor and materials and the cost of fuel made it neces- Sary for the company to have higher monthly rate in order to meet the expense of operating. He stated that the cost of reaching the con- sumer was about 78 cents. He cited cases of other cities where the min imum rate was from $l to S2.
 The measure was opposed only by Alderman McGibbonv. who is declar- ing his opposition said that the cry ing need now was to reduce the Hirh Cost of Living.
 "We must bring down the cost of living,' he said, "instead of allowing things to make it higher" He said he was not against corporations en- toying fair return on their money, but he said that labor organizations were having trouble now in pre- venting strikes among it's members. "When they sec a corporation get ting more." he said "thev want more. I'm against raising anything!" he concluded
 Raise Salaries. Salaries of three city officers, the collector. the clerk and the sexton at Bellwood cemetery were raised by ordinances adopted last night. The salary of the city collector was fix ed at $2O0 monthly. effective April l2, while the office of the cftv clerk was fixed at S150 monthly. effective April F. The salary of the sexton was fixed at $100, effective April i. These measures were adopted with only one negative vote--that of Al- derman McGibbony.
 AlCef Il protest Dy A. 1. DaHlHu, appearing as q representative of the congregation of the Lutheran church, the council voted to extend for 30 days, the time limit for the Lutheran church to lay sidewalk on Florida street on property owned by the church.
 Alderman, Dalby, chairman of the sanitary committed called the atten- tion of the council to a complaint made of an onen cistern on property on the east side of Main street be- tween Sixth and Seventh. An at- tempt to have the city fill this cis- tern up was blocked when no ac- ton was taken on motion by Cle- ments to that effect,
 The mayor said this was not the only case in town, and that an ordi dance to have the city undertake the filling up of this place would obli- gate them to take care of all such cases, which would prove highly expensive matter for the city.
 An ordinance authorizing the as- sessment on property on Twelfth avenue between Laurel and Cherry, and on Fourteenth between Olive and Laurel, was adopted. These two sections were added to paving dis trfct No. A7. formed some time ago to pave Walnut and Olive streets, and the assessment had not been au- thorized. Last nights meeting was adjourned until next Monday night.