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Show THE BURDEN" OF GAS. This city is now burdened with a gas monopoly, and a high charge for poor gas service that scarcely any other city would stand. It Is proposed to add to this burden by Increasing the maximum rato of the Snow-Darst franchise by ten cents on each of the two kinds of gas, that on fuel gas from 75 cents, as In the present franchise, to S5 cents; and on Illuminating gas from $1.25 to ?1.35. And If this were granted, it would bo but a little while until there would be a request for another Increase, no doubt. Salt Lake Is heavily burdened with franchises that do the people little service. ser-vice. But there Is never any mistako nbout the people having to pay. And they pay for very poor service. The present gas works are antiquated, inefficient; in-efficient; they could not possibly supply satisfactory gas at a reasonable price. But that is no fault of tho public; the people are entitled to better service at less rates. In the same way, the street car service Is poor, and the reply is that the company operates a greater mileage than any company does in any city of this size elsewhere. But the reply to this Is that tho company, In Its greed to occupy streets under Its blanket franchise, fran-chise, In order to hold Its monopoly, has overplayed Itself in this respect; and that Is no fault of the public, either; but It Is charged up against the people. Just tho same. The exactions on the public should be trimmed down whenever there Is opportunity, oppor-tunity, and never enlarged. The Snow-Darst Snow-Darst people were on this side of the question when they applied In the first place for their franchise. They did their own figuring. They knew what they had, and were confident of what they could do. They had no misgivings. They were open, candid, apparently sincere. The rates put In their franchise were the rates they themselves put In. And It looked like a good proposition for the people. But It Is not a good proposition proposi-tion for the people to have It said now that those seeking this franchise didn't know what they- were talking about, and that their calculations were wrong. And the Council would make a bad mistake mis-take In granting the raise. |