THE DAILY
ALASKAN
CITY QFPIOIHL PHPER
No. 101
TENTH YEAH
SKAGWAY, ALASKA, SUNDAY JUNE 2 1907
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Second
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Of
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Taxpayers
Meeting of citizens protest against ; holding election
until more iniormation is had as to the value of
Northwest Light & Power Company's plants what
it would cost to repair them, what is their income
and other information? Hot speeches made and all
in opposition
| At the meeting of taxpayers last
last night held at Firemen's hall the
proposition to lease or purchase the
plants of the tioithwest Light and
Power Company was riddled by various
speakers. While the meeting was call
ed for the purpose of giving every tax
payer an opportunity to express his
views there was not a single word ad
vanced in favor of the proposed lease.
The opinion of every one who spoke
was that the election was being forced
upon the taxpayers before thev were
placed in the possession of information
that would permit them to vole Intelli
gently. Resolutions asking that the
election be |>oslponed until the tax
payers could secure more information
were passed.
The principal speeches were delivered
by E. J. Shaw and J. M. Tanner. Coun
cilman Shea, one of the wuter-workB
committee and one of the advocates of
tho proposed iease, was invited to ap
pear before the meeting to explalu Us
advantages, but he refused to appear.
Dr.F. C.Norman was chosen as chair
man of the mc eting and & J. Dohertv,
secretary. Dr. Norman said
the purpose of the meeting
was to discuss the provisions of the pro
ved lease of the Northwest Light &
Power Company's plants In an inform
al manner that more information might
be gained and that the voters might
thereby act more intelligently. He
Invited eveiybcdy to speak freely.
Frequently, alter speeches had been
made against the proposition, be asked
for those who favored -it or who uuder
stood the advantage! that It was con
tended might be g .ined from the least
to speait, but there were no response-*.
PRfMAllRE SAYS
E. J. SIIAW
K. J. Shaw spo'?e, in part as follows:
."As f understand the que&tioD, it l>
proposed to submit to all the taxpayers
on Monday next the proposition as to
whether the council shall lease for a
period, or rather lease with a prospect
of buying, the property, rights, etc., of
the Northwest Light A Power Co., the
first payment to bo $8000, the second
would be 35000 and so on until the full
price bad been paid when the property
would be delivered.
"I noticed in this evening's paper a
copy of the contemplated lease. It
seems to me if the council were really
sincere in itsdeslre to getan expression
of the opinion of the taxpayers of this
town on a question of such moment and
and involving such a large amount of
money, more time should begiven the
people to consider the question and
seme authoritative estimate of the val
uation and the income of the property
should be presented further than what
has been given by the couucll, which
met in tecret session on Friday after
, noon and called a special election on a
notice of 72 hours. With a notice of
only 72 hours the people are to go to
! the polls and decide a question regard
j iog the expenditure of $25000 for a
plant that a great many of them think
; to be worth only about half the money!
"As a business proposition to any
bnsiners mau how many of you would
take into consideration anything of
this sort? What chance hive Ithe peo
ple of thli town had to investigate this
mattery They have had no chauce to
see if the property is worth the money
it is proposed to pay for it. No en
gineer has certified as to the value of
the water plant; no engineer has cer
tified as t ? it.he value of the electric
light plant. No expeit has shown what
thoir income is, and the company has
not allowed its books to be
seen. 1 do not see how any
thinking man can consider it all in any
other light than that of a farce.
Soorea N. W L & P. Co.
Personally I know nothing about an
electric light plant or a water plant, but
I know something of the company
which is proposing to sell this light
plant to the city. This same company
that would now hand the city a gold
brick or something 'equivalent is the
very company which made it ntcesssry
for this town to build its water plant.
No cne would have contemplated such
j, thing if it had not been for the fac
that the Northwest Light & Power
Co. attempted to hold up the cit; for Its
tire protection and as Mr. Iviehl, the
secretary, said when the committee
#eut to them with a proposition: "It
is not a question of what the city wants
to pay for its hydrant service, it is a
question of what we propose to let them
have it for." These bluffs were u?ed
until the city got to work on its own
vater system and the pipe began U)
arrive here, and then Mr. Shepard
came up here with a lot of offers to
take the pipe off our hands and save us
a lot of expense and other things, but
that pipe was laid and the city got Its
own water system, and the whole thing
was paid (or in three years time or less.
No Information Provided
It appears to me that if the city coun.
cil were acting in good faith in this mat
ter, it would give the taxpayers a little
more timeand information as to whether
it were going to buy a reservoir that
would hold all the water required, or
whether it were going to buy a sieve
that would cost thousands of dollars in
repairs before it could be made perma
nently useful, or if the water
were cleaD and pure or whether filled
with filth, vegetable matter and germs,
if the light plant is in first class
condition and up to date, or if it has
an engine that is broken down or near
1 ly so, or if its income is J3OO or $700,
or if It has any income at all. tor
the council to simply ask the pe?P '10
So next Monday and vote on "hatconn
oilmen say is all right on their 1 are
words, not backed up by expert opinion,
ii preposterous." n
! Mr. Shaw then contended that thej
! uroposed lease and purchase is illegal
j and that the city counciltnon signine i
would be personally responsible for ^the
1 rental price. In support of this he lead
Opliion^ShttoUi rord Si tyou?. of
Junoau
"Concerning the intention of thecom
juoq' council of the city of
purchase the plant and equipment of
panylor theTum"? ?b.?? or to lease
of Seattle. Section 5 of an act entitled,
? An Act to codify the ^V^Dis
the municipal corporations in the Di
\laska ' enacted by congress
irict of Alasna, c . ^ ihe
in t904, reads as follows.
common council may exerci se othe^
powers by ordinance or resolution, ,
Todiuance or resolution shallj,
valid unless adopted by a vote I
members of the council I, at a meel i g
where not less than nve member^ ar
oreseut. The council shall have
authority to issue bonds or incur ?
bonded indebtedness nor shall
have authority to incur a greater
iadebtedness or liability of any kind in
anv vear than the current revenues for
that year;' and paragraph 9 of section
I 3 of the same Act provides among other
! things 'That the common council
council shall have power to assess ant
1 a general tax for school ana
municipal purposes not to ' ^ccd |lwo
per centum of the jessed valuation
upon real and personal '
Paragraph 3 of the same Act is as ioi
fow? 'The council shall have power
protection and ^e reUe^o^the^estiJ
XTS the 'foregoing portion, of the
>tatute will enable one to determine
whether or not the common council
has the power to enter into a ^ontrac
(or the purchase or lease of a lighting
ation of all the property within the j
corporate limits, ^ the wunc M
without power to contract 10 y
?^;.rcooc.n>U? U? ???"? oll
?
I ALASKAN
Seed Potatoes
Per Hundred weighs
QANTY & FRANDSON
EXTRA
| contracts on behalf of the city for the
' purchase or lease of lighting and power
plants, is wiiat sum can be realized
from 'taxation during that year, over
and abcve the present running expens
es of the town, and i if the highest tax
that can be assessed upon the present
valuation of assessible property, coupl
ed with the sums realized from the
license moneys will not, after paying:
the current expenses of the city,
amount to the proposed contract price
of the power or lighting 'plant, then
the council is with authority to execute
such a contract on behalf of the city
for 'The council is without authority
to incur greater indc btedness or liabil
ity of any kind in any year than the
current revenues of the municipality
for that year,' in other words, all con
tracts ma3e by the council during any
one year must Dot involve a sum great
er than the current revenues collect
ible during that year.
Lsma Iltegil!
"The proposed contract for purchase
or loase indicates that the total liability
is to be #25,000 bearing 8 per cent,
interest which, of course could not be
paid during the year of the
execution of t?'B contract, con
sequently such a c.u; tract would be in
direct violation of the latter part of
section 5 aboye quoted.
"The council may labor under the
impression that it has the power to en
ter into such a contract and provide
that only such portion of the contract
price shall fall due each year as will
enable the town to pay the same during
that j ear without exceeding its power
of taxation, but such an interpretation
is a violation of both the letter and
spirit of tho statute, for it is immaterial
when the payments mature under the
contract, the entire obligation is in
curred when the contract is executed,
an 1 the object of the statute is to pre
vent the council from burdening the
city with an obligation which will have
to be taken care of by its successors.
Pertonal Liabilities
"It seems to us that if the law were
carefully explained to the council and
the limitation of their powers as defined
by the the statute brought to their
attention, as well as the right of a tax
payer to have such a contract declared
null and void, that they would retain
from entering into such a contract,
particularly since it is probable that all
of the counciimen, who participate in
the exeoution of such a contract or as
sent to the same, might be held PER
SONALLY LIABLE FOR THE CON
TRACT PRICE, Tba counciimen are
agents for the city; they have such
powers as are expre-sly granted to
(Continued on Page 2.)
b Delightful Deliciousness 4
(5* . _ <S*
Is now to be had at our Soda Fountain. ZF
e I have spent considerable money in improv- ??
ing my fountain this year, and am now in
position to serve better drinks ? most deliglit- ??,
S! ful and delicious drinks ? thau ever before. Q.
ss All popular flavors are served. s
</?
sr 9
~ mitt. Brltt Cbe Druggist ~