Morning Oregonian. (Portland, Or.) 1861-1937, February 21, 1906, Image 10

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Morning Oregonian., February 21, 1906, Page 10, Image 10

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Newspaper Page TextTHE HORNING OREGONIAN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1906. m INQUIRY 15 NOW UNDER WAY HARRY MURPHY ATTENDS THE FIRST SESSION OF THE COUNCIL GAS INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE AMONG THOSE PRESENT WERE: is; A Great Advantage "SPLITS" OF Corporation Outlines Its De-'j fense, Which Will Be Technical. 10 WITNESSES ARE EXAMINED Failure to Issue Subpenas Delays the Investigation Somewhat, but Witnesses Will iBc Called Next Week. An investigation Into the methods of the Portland Gas Company in its dealings with the public was (begun yesterday afternoon in the Council chamber. Six mcmbors of the Coun cil's special committee on Investiga tion were on hand to hear the first day's testimony, and, despite the gen eral unpreparedness of the publip's side of the case, considerable progress ivas made. For, while a mlsundertand ing between the investigating commit tee and City Attorney McNary had brought about a failure to issue requi site subpenas for important witnesses who have been complaining against the gas company, three complaints were presented voluntarily. Two of them were in writing and the third was a personal complaint, of a nature which the gas company may find it cumbersome or Inconvenient to ex plain. Leads the Gas Forces. The gas forces, personally conducted by Prcsldont C. F. Adams, wore early in the field and made it plain that they intend to fight the. issue to the bitter end. Mr. Adams was accom panied by the company's lawyer, Joseph Teal, and a brace of gas ex perts. These experts were examined during the afternoon, but their testi mony proved of little material' value, being purely technical and having lit tle or no direct bearing on the various charges Involved In the investigation. The most important testimony of the' day was that offered by J. H. Toomey, proprietor of the Barr Hotel, at Sixth and Gllsan streets. His testimony was brief, direct and incriminating and ef forts to bewilder him upon cross-examination proved unavailing. Toomey established that he had a mind of his own and was molested no further, af ter declining altogether to be led in bis testimony. Evidence of Toomey. Toomey's evidence consisted of a statement of his gas bills for the past three years. He said he held no preju dices against the company, but felt it his duty to show the kind of bills he had been forced to pay. He showed that for the month ending January 5 of this year he paid 514.45 more for his gas than he did for a corresponding period one year ago and this with out additional gas burners or change. In the hours of light service, in his hotel. He also showod that for the "month ending February 5, of this year, he paid $7.20 more than lie did a year ago. His sworn statement as given from the witness chair follows: His Sworn Statement "From November 5 to December 5, 1904, my gas bill amounted to $42.60. The succeeding month I was charged $42.10. For the month ending Feb ruary 5, 1905, my bill came to $35.05. This year my bill for the month end ing January 5 amounted to $56.55, or $14.45 more than last year. Last month my -bill was $42.25, or $7.20 more than a year ago." Replying to a question from Coun cilman Masters the witness said lc had not consumed any greater quan tity of gas than when his bills were at the smaller figures of cost Attorney Teal stated that the men -who read the meters might be late or might call when the meter was not accessible and return a few days later when more gas had been used, lie asked the witness if such a condition of affairs might not account for the difference in his bills. "Hardly so great a difference as that." replied the witness. Abandon Cross-Examination. Cross-examination of the witness was promptly abandoned as he seemed to show no inclination to yield to beaming and soothing questioning. Mr. Teal took refuge in the statement that the "records" would be looked up and a satisfactory explanation of the wit ness testimony accorded. Two written complaints, addressed to City Auditor Devlin, were then read. One was from Colin V. Dymcnt, 450 Sixth street, and the other from H. L. "Ward, of Cazadcro. Mr. Dyment asserted that the service ias deterior ated and the gas bills increased in size, notwithstanding the supposed re duction in price. His communication was read before the committee, as follows: Colin V. DymcnCs Letter. T. C. Devlin. Esq. City Auditor Dear Sir: As data for the proposed Bap service Investi gation by a special committee of the City Council. I bee to tiubmlt: The quality of gas furnished has deterior ated during the past month to such an ex tent that It is now necessary to light two Jets to obtain candle-power sufficient to read comfortably. Formerly one Jet furnished abundance of Unlit. The apparent decrease in candle-power is at least 50 per cent. Following the reduction. In charges from 51.50 per thousand to $1.15 per thousand. meter readings have risen until monthly bills are equal to or In excess of corresponding monthly bills under the old rate. Possibly this is due to the necessity of using more jets to obtain an equal amount of light. Re. spcctfulty., COLIN V. DYMENT, What II. Ij. Ward Says. Mr. Ward set out in his communication that the gas company had ruined his business and caused him a loss of $350 through turning off his gas. His state ment says: Mr. Devlin, City Auditor Dear Sir: wteh to toll you how the Port land Gas Company used me In 1904 I owned and managed a restaurant in Portland and wa using gas for short orders, a coffee urn and a K0 c p. lamp when, without notice and without just cause, they removed the meter which cut on the supply, and thus my business, which cost me $.V0, to ruined. had to sell for what I could get, losing $350. Subpena me if you wish. Respectfully. Feb. 14. Caxadero, Or. II. L. WARD. A third communication was read from Mrs. A. Lindsay. 591 .East Alder street. in which she stated that her gas bills are "not unreasonable," and that she therefore felt impelled to say so. Attitude of Gas Company. The attitude the gas company is to assume throughout the investigation was clearly developed at yesterday's pro ceedings. It was made plain that the company means to meet all charges by laying anytmng that cannot be explained to mere business errors rather than to wrong intent When the committee was I ovokx or r convened shortly after 2 P. M., Attorney J Teal, on behalf of the defendant com pany, arose to say that the company J asked the right to file a sworn answer to charges against it through The Ore gonlan. Attorney Teal's Address. Attorney Teal then proceeded with a verbose address. He said that the integ rity of the officers of the company had been questioned, which, being a personal matter, should be cleared up. He defined the company as a public service corpor ation, which always welcomed Investiga tions, and asserted that should it ever be desired to acquire the company as a municipal ownership utility no objection would be met with. Concerning the man ifold charges that "nave been brought he said they wished them thoroughly probed and the company either exonerat ed or else branded as all that it is ac cused of being. Continuing, be said the company did not claim to make no mls to be altogether free from crit icism. After eulogizing the corporation and its officers, he attributed the general rnmnlaints that have been made to "per sonal motives" rather than to the good of the public service. Deposits for 3Iclcrs. Tlprardlnr the practice of requiring de posits on meters, he averred that was nothing more than a system of providing KPcuritv for the comnany. As to the slot- machine meters, he asserted that they were used where another Kin a oi meter cannot be installed. The Tjnee of gas had not been reduced In them for the reason that thev are twice as expensive as the ordinary' kind, and, furthermore, arc often robbed by dishonest patrons, who put lead slugs and all kinds of things in the slots instead of quarter pieces, be said. . Regarding the price of gas. Attorney Teal said It was the company's policy to maice reductions wnenevcr possiuie to ao so, but that It was difficult in view of extensive Improi'cments that were being jwn w. ft? IIIMIIIIIHifHMMtC ! l - f DIAGRAMS ILLUSTRATING PROPOSED ROUTES OF TRACTION LlfoES WHICH ASK FRANCHISES OF THE CITY OF PORTLAND rSy W Yfi made in the system at this time. He then proceeded to read articles bearing on the gas company that have appeared In The Oregonlan. and declared they were unwarranted and untrue, asking that those responsible for their appearance In print be called before the committee. This request was allowed, and an order for subpenas Issued. Gage or Battle. "We may have been foolish." he added, "to wage a battle thrown down to us. but wc mean to stand by It. and cither stand or fall by it" To the fact that a scarcity of witnesses was on hand he also attached considerable importance, saying The Ore golnan. and not the public, was chiefly interested, else witnesses would have been present; therefore. It was up to The Ore gonlan to substantiate the charges that had been made through Its columns. At this juncture Councilman Annand in formed him that a list of witnesses had been submitted to the City Attorney, but he had been too busy to Issue the requi site subpenas. Councilman Masters said it was the Intention of the committee to make the Investigation a thorough one. C. E. S. Wood Also Appears. Attorney C E. S. "Wood, who was seated at the right of President Adams, said he had been called Into the case at the last moment and held an impartial position. While he was not ready to believe The Oregonlan was in any way influenced by personal motives, yet the public having failed to respond, the cbarccs made by The Oregonlan should be corroborated by that source. Mr. Annand here repeated that the subpenas had not been Issued, thus accounting for the absence of wit nesses. B. S. Peterson, representative of an In diana gas establishment was introduced by the gas company as an expert who could throw some light on the subject of meters nnd the gas system in general. He defined the various kinds of gas. Regard J. Cook. 1 ifc. 'kiXt " . . AftK . , ail k. t i-" jlj . 1.1. "5WS CNF oW- ing the quality of gas used in Portland. Seattle and Los Angeles. Mr. Peterson said that the gas used in Portland and Los Angeles is about the same. Inasmuch as Portland consumer pay $1.15 per thou sand cubic feet, and Los Angeles con sumers get their gas for S3 cents, it was thus shown that Portland pays 30 cents more per thousand feet for the same qual ity of gas. When Councilman Masters told of an experience he had had with Portland gas. the company's expert was at n complete loss to understand the phe nomenon. Mr. Masters said he had turned on a gas jet and held a match over It The Jet. was not Ignited nor was the match extinguished, although held over the Jet for some time. Mr. Peterson entered Into technicalities but finally admitted that he couldn't un derstand the case if the match actually continued to bum undisturbed when held over an open jet. Gas Meters Examined. The workings of a coupleof gas me ters were explained at the Instance of the cbmpany's representatives and ad journment was then taken until Wednesday, February 2S. at 7:S0 P. M. At that time it is intended to have all subpenas served. The members of the committee in attendance were John Annand. F. S. Bennett. R. E. Mcnefce, A. G. Rushlight. Dan Kellahcr and W. T- Masters. W. T. Vaughn alone was absent Portland Railway Sued. John Winters complains that as he was about to alight from a street-car at First and Arthur streets In October, last be cause of the overcrowded condition of the car and other reasons he was thrown oft the platform on to the ground and se riously Injured about the head, face and body. Testcrday he filed suit In the State Circuit Court against 'the. Portland Rail way Company for $3000 damages. JBZUrrtETZp s FIR II FRANCHISE Council Committee Reports for Mount Hood. DISCUSSION OF PROVISIONS Corporation Must Give Fifty Thousand-Dollar Bond for Faithful Performance of Its Agree ment AVith the City. Consideration of the application for a franchise pf the Mount Hood Electric Company occupied the attention of the joint streets and judiciary- and elec tlona committees of the Council for three hours last night, with the result that the measure was recommended fa voraoiy to ine council upon me l per cent gross earnings basis, the same as In the case of the Cascade Power Com pany, and In fact the applications of both concerns have been shaped to meet similar conditions. it is possioie, nowevcr, tnat as a matter of form the franchise of the Mqunt I Food pooplo may be referred to the Executive Board, at the Council meeting tonight, to fix anew the com pensation required by the city. Such 'VALLEY XRJLC7I0M S .n! f? : Apollinaris a step may be deemed necessary by reason of the fact that the original ap plication of the corporation has been changed to such an extent, under direc tion of the City Attorney, that it has virtually become a new proceeding, and may be treated accordingly by the legislative body. "What the Franchise Gives. The franchise as passed upon section by section by the committees last night, prescribes that the construction and installation of the plant shall be gin within one year, and that the cor poration or Its assigns shall be pre nared to furnish electric energy for use within the corporate limits of the city within two years from the date of ac ceptance of the franchise. Before avail ing Itself of any of the provisions of the franchise within the city the com .pany must furnish a bond In a sum not less than S5G.Q00, conditioned upon the faithful performance of its agreement to be ready to transact business here within two years, such bond to be waived after the expenditure of $230,D0q in construction work. , "The bond feature Is precisely the same as in the case of the Cascade Power Company's franchise recom mended by the same committee last Friday. In fact there is a similarity be tween the two all the way through, and to make the relationship appear more binding. Attorney "Pike" Davis. Engi neer W. B. Chase and A- C. Churchill, of the Cascade Power Company, were on hand last night to lend the moral support of their presence to the ef forts of the Mount Hood people, and there appeared to be a unique spirit of friendliness between the two aspirants for lighting honors all the way through. Cobb Talks for Company. S. B. Cobb, president of the Mount Hood Electric Company, did most of the talking for his corporation. He was ac companied by Vice-President J. E. Davis. Treasurer C. W. Nottingham, Secrctary Samuel Connell and Directors G. W. Waterburj and Elmer B. Colwell. The other directors are Richard Connell. C. W. Pallett, C. C. Woodcock. H. C. James and C. W. Miller, the latter being gen eral manager also. There was some discussion over the question of compelling the company to put Its wires underground, but its offi cials raised such a storm of objections to such a course that the committee re- 9-S 4 C0 CO. frained from pressing the issue. It was claimed that the June floods would All up the conduits and put the transmission lines out of commission, and this argu ment had the desired effect. Cobb alleged that his company way going ahead rapidly with construction work at the present time, and expected to expend fully $1,000,000 in the next two years, having already contracted for the sale of their bonds under those condi tions. Menefee insisted strongly upon the good-faith bond feature, and thought 530,000 should be given as security to pro tect the citjr against any tendency to speculate upon its credit and commercial integrity. Vaughn wanted to know how the city was going to be out anything by grant ing these franchises, and could see no necessity for requiring good-faith bond?. Unless they bring the power here within one year, he said, the franchises would be forfeited. Menefee maintained that the principal Injury to the city would result from the hawking process in the effort to sell bonds. FRONT-STREET FRANCHISE. Three Applications Will Come TJp foe Hearing: Today- The Front-street franchises will occupv the attention of the joint streets and ju diciary and elections committees of the Council this afternoon. Three different set3 of applicants are contending for the right to use the street as a gateway to the city. George B. Moffatt, "the Xew York cap italist behind the Willamette Valley Traction Company, gave the following reasons why his company should be given the Front-street franchise: "The reason we are entitled to the franchise at the hands of the city is that we were the first to make application and this application covers a limited part of the city. It is a public service cor poration to transfer cars to our road and all other roads to terminals in vari ous parts of the city. It Is a commercial railroad, not a street railway at all. that is asking admittance to Portland, and under the understanding that Portland desired a commercial railway connecting it with its markets, capital has been raised and the work of construction com menced In the Willamette Valley. Xo road can be built that cannot gain not only an entrance to the city, but also an entrance to the terminals of the various transcontinental lines. Wc safeguard the city by stating what price In cash will be paid for the franchise, and wc offer to put up cither cash or a bond to assure the city that the road, not only in the city limits but all the way to Salem, will be completed within an agreed time. Furthermore, to assure the city that this road will be operated inde pendently and in the Interests of all ship pers, the company offers the city an option to buy the road at its cost and In terest after five years. Property-owners along Front street who opposed the fran chise now favor it. provided no steam will be used In the operation of the road." J. Whyte Evans, president of the United Railways Company believes his company should.be given the Front- street franchise for the following rea sons: "We have the material on the ground," said he, "and the imple ments for construction ready for im mediate work. There is no railroad or railroads directly or indirectly in terested with the United Railways Company. We have shown evidence, we believe, of good faith. We do not ask for six months' time to begin, but will begin now and continue, weather per mitting, of course, until we connect Portland by electric railways with the finest suburban country in the united States. Wc shall go In every direction but will confine our present efforts to Salem. Hiilsboro and Forest Grove, to gether with the city lines wc arc asking for. We are builders of railways, not promoters. We have shown our good faith "by the purchase of the Chamber of Commerce building, and wc are hore with our families to make Portland our borne and we will bring thousands of neoiilc here through means at our command. A bureau of information is now being established in L,os Angeles to exploit Portland, in our party ar men well versed in real estate matters who sec here opportunities in realty which they will doubtless take advan tage of when they get here. Our slogan Is 210,300 people ror .fortianu in Thomas McCusker represents the third aspirant his claims for consid eration being based on an application for a franchise, which will probably be acted upon by the committee this af ternoon. He names Thomas u. Honey man and Edward Newbegin as his backers. GRAT HAIR QUICKLY RESTORED To Its natural color by using Alfredum's Egyptian Vienna. aure, narmicsa. ai first-class druggists. SCOTT'S EMULSION is more than a fat food. There is no animal fat that compares with it in nourishing and building up the wasted, emaciated body. That is why chil dren and anaemic girls thrive and grow fat upon it. That is why persons with consumptive tenden cies gain flesh and strength enough to check the progress of the disease.