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Show HI I uv HI HAS OGDEN CITY HIS BLUNDERED? Hi Since it was announced that the HI I Commissioners of Ogden City had Hjl granted the present Power & Light HI company new franchises, the editorial HI I room telephone has been kept busy Hi) answering people who t desired to HI know what was the object of granting HI the old Merchants Light & Power company, or Its successors, a new j j franchise while the franchise s(ill had HI! thirty years to run. The Standard promised to look, the matter up and ; I state editorially, if possible1, what tho : 1 difference was between the old fran-Hf fran-Hf I chise granted by the last city council , Hll and mayor. Ill The original franchise for said HPc company was granted on February ' I I 8, 1911. Among other things it pro-II pro-II vided that the franchise granted was lUl Knhior.t. to the richts of Ogden City l to fix the rates to bo charged for Hi electric lights,, heat and power. This II clause was stricken out in the fran- II chise just passed. II Again, the first franchise provided Hjl that on and after January 1, 1919, said HI Merchants Power & Light company Hll shall pay Ogden City an annual oc-H oc-H cupation tax, such a reasonable oc-Hill oc-Hill cupation tax as the city of Ogdon HI I might fix from time to time. During Hill the whole period of the remainder If of the franchise, said occupation tax III -was to be paid annually. This clause III was stricken out of the franchise III granted two days ago. The annual Hll occupation tax was fixed at one-quar-I tor of one per cent for twenty years. I one-half of one per cent for tho next lj twenty years and three-fourths of one per cent for the remainder of If the new franchise granted for fifty III years. HI The first Merchants Light & Power II 1 1 company franchise provided that Og- l den City could buy the entire elec- llljj trie light and power plant of the ll company, any time after twenty-five Hi I years from tho date of the franchise, HI by paying the cost of reproducing the I plant at that time, with the express Hi I agreement that the franchise then Hljll granted, and which would then have lllli approximately a number of years H to run, was not to be considered of 111 any value' 1 tne clty docidod t tuy H( the plant; also that NO prices were HI HI to 'bo fixed upon water rights and h water power sites in fixing such HI I value. This clause was entirely i j stricken out by tho commissioners Hl 'n granting the franchise Thursday W if ternoon. There are a number of other H changes. Just what Hue value of H these changes Is to the light com H Panv vr1 D0 nard to say at the pres- H ?nt time, though estimated to be H worth over a million dollars for the H :,fty years. It takes from Ogden City Hll the right to get its own franchise Mi back for nothing. If the city should Hl visa to buy in the futuro it would H Jave to pay for tho franchise given I iway. B The Standard Is astounded to learn that tho present city government has cut these safeguards from tho franchise fran-chise In reading ovor tho old franchise fran-chise and tho new one, wo cannot fully realize tho present city government govern-ment granted tho new franchise It Is so unjust and unfair to Ogdon City that we cannot bolievo oven nowr after we havo read tho new franchise, that the now franchise has been granted. We would repeal the franchises they passed tho other day, before tho power company accepts them. We think it was a blunder -to pass tho new ordinances. We cannot believe be-lieve that tho city commissioners knew that tho ordinances were loaded. Wo repoat, the commissioners should recall theso franchises beforo it Is too late. |