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Show CONFERENCE OF COUNCILMEN". Light Committee and Others Discuss Franchise Extension. At a meeting held in tho Council chamber cham-ber yesterday afternoon a majority of the members of tho special' commlttco voted to make a proposal to the Utah Light and Railway company extending Its franchlse fjfty years from January 1. 1305. Councilman Fernstrom. who presided, pre-sided, declared that the citizens' commlt-teo commlt-teo la dealing largely In hot air; that no ono has ever asked for a fifty-year extension ex-tension of tho franchlso! Other members of Council present, excepting ex-cepting Councilman Prceco, looked at the Swede with amazement. Prceco Joined In tho statement that it Is "hot air" that the citizens are talking. Tho franchlso Itself says that tho company wanla fifty years from the termination of Ha present pres-ent franchises a fact known to every ono who has looked Into the matter. Tho Swcdo has adopted a new role. He and others now say what tho company wants 13 a franchise for llfty years from January 1 1006, one running to 1353. For this, tho Swcdo says, ho lnia down in his heart a feeling that tho company will concede a reduction In light rates to a. maximum of 10 cents a kllowat, If paid promptly, or 11.20 cents per kllowat, If not paid at a llmo agreed on bv tho company, He says he feels that the company com-pany will give to tho city all of Its rights in Big Cottonwood and mako other modulations mod-ulations In tho proposed franchlso. Councilman Davis declared that he would not bo willing to extend tho franchlso fran-chlso a single minute under any circumstances. circum-stances. "The franchises they havo now aro plenty long enough," he sald "It will bo plenty of tlmo to ask for an extension ton years or such a matter before tho present franchises expire." Cour.cllmcn Prceco, Fernstrom. Tuddenham Tudden-ham and Wells clearly showed willingness to give tho company all It asks. Councilman Coun-cilman Black. Davis, Hobday and Hewlett Hew-lett were less generous. In fact, the three formor were what tho Swcdo would doubtless consider prejudiced. Councilman Council-man Dean was noncommittal, except that ho voted ngalnst an amendment proponed pro-poned bringing tho short-tlmo franchise up to tho term of tho long-time franchises now hold by tho company. Ho evldentlv favors a now franchise of flftv years from January 1, 10CC. It was found that tho longest fran- chise held by tho company has a llfo of torly-two years; tho shortest, thlrtv-alx years. ' Councilman Hobday, as a fooler, proposed pro-posed that the Council submit to tho company a proposal to extend tho several sev-eral franchlEea to tho tlmo at which the ongest ono will oxplrc. In exchange for the water rights nnd right-of-way In Big Cottonwood, and a 25 per cont cut In the light charges. nhils. wns,, vo.tcd .dow,"' Councilman wells s motion to extend the term of all franchises to January" J, 1035, was car- u WH,?bthJJ' a,,.d DftV,f votlnjr against It; Wells, Lernstrom, Dean and Preoco voting for It. Other Councilmon present did not vote. Tho conference cstcrday afternoon was attended by Mayor Morris and Assistant City Attorney Brammol. It was called for tho purpose of preparing for tho pUb lie meeting held last night. |