Show CORE alff A meeting called by the mayor and city council was held last thursday night in the D N C auditorium to consider the raise of rates by the dixie power company much interest wa s shown the large room being packed almost to its limit on motion edw H snow was elected chairman and john T wood bury jr secretary ot of the insetting ins eting pres pros snow explained the object of the meeting stated that the matter at issue was controlled by statute law the state public utilities coin commission which granted the increase in rates being granted extensive power under which aich it appeared it could fix rates lower raise or vacate them hoped the discussion of the A subject would be calm and dispassionate the ch chairman airmans s hope that the discussion would be calm and dispassionate was not fulfilled the people were wrought up to a high pitch of resentment against the power company especially against its president A L woodhouse who had made them promises la in a public meeting before the franchise was as granted to him that he would protect and guarantee them in a specific rate for lighting their homes and furnish a stated amount of electric energy for street lighting purposes during the life of the franchise which promise he had broken by applying to the public utilities commission tor for an increase of rates the attacks by most of the speakers on mr woodhouse were very bitter mayor albert E miller read the decision of the state public utilities commission in brantl granting ng the increase of rates and in commenting on the tame said mr woodhouse had he desired to make good the franchise could have done so by one word when asked by the commission it if he was under obligation to furnish street lighting mr miller gave a brief statement of the financial con gittons of the city according to eiph the city could not pay for street lights mr miller read a letter which he had received from the dean of bf the law school at the U V of tf TJ in which the dean stated he viewed with aith alarm the great power given to the utilities commission to abrogate abro cate con bishop james mcarthur mayor of the city at the time the franchise was granted to A L woodhouse said at the time the municipal plant was sold to A L roodhouse house the present president ol 01 the dixie power co the question duest lon us As to consideration was squarely Bu arely put to bim him and acknowledged he know the deal entered into yet he hesitates to give the facts be he knows there was a consideration when we agreed to sell to A L woodhouse tor for 12 he agreed to protect us in a fixed maximum rates tor for lighting and to furnish the street t lights during the term of the franchise if contracts can be put aside us As scraps of paper it Is time we showed ourselves as men the principle before us is one that cannot be shunned offered the following resolution whereas bee 11 of ta franchise granted by the city of st george states la in the event that the gran tea his heirs or assigns shall charge a greater rate than herein provided this franchise shall be null and void and in the event that the grantee his heirs or assigns shall fall to comply with any other material covenant to bs be by him performed then the city of 1 at st george may give him notice in writing to perform the same and it if after such notice thirty 30 90 days shall expire without a reasonable at a to perform such covenant then la it that event milt this franchise shall be null and void and whereas the dixie power company COMP assignees of A L woodhouse says the street lighting will be annulled then I 1 se to it resolved that the city council berve serve notice on bit the dixie power 4 company that such action gotten is in viola atlon of the franchise and if carried out the city shall publish an all ordin ance annulling the franchise t the resolution was seconded ded by t geo F whitehead I 1 ft P orria 5 f 9 iff I 1 4 i a ie power company opposed the reso lution said the only protecting clause to the dixie power contained in the copy of tie fian chise kept by the city had been strick en an out whereas it was in the certified copy in possession of the dixie power company the franchise ordinance drawn up and passed by the city council had not been published according to law nor had it been re corded geo goo F whitehead if ordinance is invalid then there is no franchise in the mass meeting called to consider the sale of the municipal plant I 1 was one of the very few who opposed it and I 1 voted against selling it because I 1 felt we should always be at the mercy of a corporation I 1 don t think mr woodhouse played fair in denying any consideration before the public utilities commission question on motion was called the chairman thought it would be better tor for the city officers to get good legal advice in the matter before pro beeding to annul the franchise others spoke in favor of the resolution which was passed almost unanimously mayor miller asked what shall we do about street lights answer from all parts of the house take them down W A whitehead said as the dixie power co would not live up to their agreement he was in favor of taking the lights out M L mcallister McAll lster off offered ered a motion that the city council be instructed to discontinue the street lights the motion was seconded in support of the motion W 0 bentley said he was opposed to pay ing one cent tor for street lights under such conditions we got assurance in the franchise contract that we would be protected both in street lights and rates I 1 was a member of the he city council at the time and if mr woodhouse house is an honorable man he will admit this agreement morally we have no business to yield A L woodhouse said there had been enough personalities and misconstruction here tonight to call tor for an answer the statement brought out at the hearing before the utilities commission bad had been given to the people the only protection given his company in the franchise had been stricken out Hs he was anxious to go through with the terms of the contract but the utilities commis slon sion had scrapped all contracts free lights were given to the city as a protection against competition during the life of the franchise he re feared to the benefits of customer ownership saying there were stockholders in washington and iron counties owning 66 55 percent of the common stock of the company we will do our part to keep the lights on and power in the county as we have in the past the chairman asked if the utilities comin commission assion would consider any contracting tr binding when a company was losing money mr woodhouse replied he did not think so from somewhere in the rear of the hall the question was asked why the franchise ordinance was not publish ed ad in mayor miller replied that tion was not required by state law at that time the mayor was wrong in this answer as the state law at that time distinctly states publication must be made editor I 1 the motion that street lights be discontinued it if payment contrary to the agreement was required was passed by an almost vote prof vasco M tanner says that during the recent cold snap the white leghorn chickens at the D N 0 continued to lay right along and were not at all affected by the weather this Is remarkable remar hable because the anure front of their pens isolen is open to the weather and goes to prove that there Is something in knowing how to care for hens ens A birthday dinner was vms given at the home of mr and mrs arthur F miles wednesday afternoon in honor ot of mrs miles mother mrs abigal abigil walker mrs walker is one of the first pioneers of dixie and is 80 years old there were about 26 2 gueste guests present at the dinner and each one expressed sentiments of regard and good wishes for mrs walker the fw WM 14 |