To Acquire the Light.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIX, Issue 18, 12 May 1914, Page 5

To Acquire the Light.

O, King, referring to arbitration, said lie was under the impression that the Electric Light Supply Bill overrode the Deed of Concession. The Mayor: This is arbitration. Cr. King: Xot exactly arbitration. Cr. Masters said he was very pleased to see the .Mayor’s attitude, hut reminded him that he had altered his views. The Mayor: Xo; 1 never altered ivy opinion, Cr. Masters;; Three months ago I suggested it would bo a fine thing— Cr. Kidnu’ds; Is this in order!' The Mayor: Xo; it isn’t. Xcvertheless) Cr Masters, I am quite prepared to answer any statement. 1 told yon then that matter was not before the Council. Cr Masters was again about to speak when, the Mayor said: I don’t want to he misunderstood. I contend now as -I have always done that if the Company want £IOOO or a proportion of it, lam opposed -to it. I have been so in the past, and my view has never been in any other direction. Cr Masters: You told me you werk opposed to it only at the end of the Concession.

The Mayor: I am opposed to it for the reason I told you and for every other reason. Cr Masters: When the scheme is brought down I want the Council to he unanimous. I believe in that case that something will Be done. In the first place, there is the question of goodwill, lam sure that is where’w.e won’t agree. I do not know that the Company will ask for goodwill, but I believe it will be the stumbling block. I take it the Council will pay the Company the amount estimated by the arbitrators. The Mayor: Xot necessarily. Cr. Masters: If yon think that anything can be brought about to make arrangements with the Company in uiy way. I will support it to the best if my ability, and if you think the resolution will work I am prepared to go on. But I am only pointing iut the weakness of it. in reply to Cr. Mormon, the Mayor ■aid the cost of the previous arbitration was about £6B, and the total cost was under £IOO.

Cr. Thompson Can you make more clear to me the valuation you propose? i'on wist the Company to agree to it. The Mayor: Xo, no. When the valuation is made and the terms of the resolution are carried out, the Council will consider them, and the whole of the Council will jnake the offer. We will endeavor, notwithstanding, to come to reasonable terms, and will deal with the Company as long as tlmy will show any idea of coming to terms until the matter is dropped. I will not stop at endeavouring td arrange any reasonable terms, but when I’see that there ? ip no hope I will not waste time in going qn with it. I will go on as long as the Company is prepared to come to a fair agreement, and by that 1 moan that the Company .will he paid for everything that it is entitled to. Cr. Thompson: Would it not be wiser to open up preliminary negotiations ? '

The Mayor (pointing to the paper with'the resolutions): There ig the basis there. Cr. Thompson'ref em-ct to the matter of a conference as in years gone by. of which he had knowledge through being secretary of the Company. His idea was that overtures should be made to the Company. Tt would take the Council two hours to consider the resolutions and lick them into shape. The Mayor; These are concrete proposals to put before them. They are not binding on the Company or the Council, but so that a mutual agreement could he arrived at to purchase the undertaking. Cr. Morison agreed with Cr. Thompson, and went on to speak of the goodwill, when the Mayor pointed out that he was prepared to deal with the goodwill first. Mr Boon supported the motion. Cr. Fredric; As the bolder of two shares, J do not know whether I should speak.—Laughter. On the motion being put to the meeting it teas carried unanimously. TII6 Mayor: T am very pleased with the result. I really think that ultimately we will come to a decision. A committee consisting of the Mayor and Ci'S. 1 Morison, Boon and Bichards wore set up to report to next ordinary meeting of the Council or to a special meeting if found advisable.

PROPOSED NEW LICENSE. A FURTHER PROTEST. The following report by the Lighting Committee was adopted: Your Committee begs to recommend : <\). That the Hob. the Minister of Public Works be advised as follows: That the Stratford Borough Council unanimously oppose the issue of the proposed license to the Stratford Electrical Supply Company for reasons which wore placed before the Hon. Minister by deputation, and the Council now emphasises that the issue of such license would he/a flagrant infringement of the rights of the burgesses. The Company and Council are both bound by a deed of covenant, the terms of which should he sacred, but the issue of the proposed license would be a violation of same in favor of the Company. The Council is unanimously of opinion that the great majority of the burgesses are opposed to the license and that the issue of same would be an unpardonable injustice. The Council again urges the Hon. Minister to definitely give his assurance that the Government will not issue the license. With reference to.tlio petition advised in yours of 6th ulfc., it is quite possible that a-number of the signatures thereto are shareholders in the Company, but without their names the Council cannot definitely speak on this matter. The

town was certainly canvassed for signatures to the petition by the Secretary of the Electrical Supply Company. If necessary a much larger petition against the license would be easily obtained. (2). That the member for the district be advised that the Borough Council unanimously opposes the issue of a license to the Stratford Electrical Supply Company as a flagrant infringement of the rights ol the burgesses and as an unpardonable injustice, and urges him to oppose same. Cr. Richards moved the adoption of the report. He said- the member for the district should he mfc-vmed of the Council’s wishes and' made to realise that ho was representing the burgesses in this matter. Cr. Boon seconded the motion and the report was adopted. DEPARTMENTAL VIEWS. The Minister for Public Works telegraphed on April 24th: “I sent your Council the gist of petition forwarded to me, and more than that 1 do not feel justified in doing, I certainly would not be justified in sending names of those who signed petition and must therefore decline to do so. - ITider date May 4th the Undersecretary for Public 'Works wrote as f o ;i ows : *l“Re Stratford Electrical Supply Company’s license; With reference to the Hon. Minister’s letter of April 6th. forwarding copy of a petition signed by certain ratepayers and consumers in your Borough relative to the above license, 1 am directed to request you to kindly forward the views of your Council thereon as requested, by the Minister in his letter referred to above.” ,

MAYOR’S SUGGESTIONS. i BOROUGH COUNCIL APPROVES. The Mayor moved the following resolution at last night's meeting of [ the Borough Council:— That as a preliminary step to making an offer of purchase to the Stratford , Electrical Supply Co. for their undertaking the following he carried out:— 1. —That the consent of the Electrical Supply Co. be obtained for a valuation of its plant, to be made by a qualified electrical engineer, to be appointed by the Borough Council. 2. That the Council’a valuator bo asked to advise the Council as to any altera tiun in the Company 1 s system of generating energy that may be advisable, and what additions and alterations would bo necessary to the plant (with cost of same) to bring it up-to-date for the requirements of the Borough. 3. —That an estimate be obtained of the cost of the most suitable new standardised plant to suit the Borough’s requirements. 4. —That when the information as outlined in the foregoing is available and has been considered by the Council an offer be made to the Company to purchase its undertaking; but that it he a condition precedent to such offer being made that an agreement be arrived at between the Council and the Company on the question of goodwill. THE PROPOSERS REMARKS.

Speaking to the motion the Mayor said he had given the matter a great deal of serious thought and he was convinced that the scheme he suggested would be the best means of arriving at a settlement. The Deed of Concession laid it down that the purchase should follow on the award of two arbitrators, but in the present case he did not think this would be advisable. A previous attempt under the Deed of Concession had failed. The real arbitrators in the matter were the ratepayers, who would place more reliance oa the award of an expert appointed by the Council than on an award agreed to between the experts appointed by the parties. He was convinced that if the Company mot the Council in a fair spirit would be no difficulty in arriving at a price which was fair to all. The Company had nothing to fear. On his part he would be frank and open and would keep nothing back. The Council should have the services of a qualified engineer, and in connection with Ms engagement no consideration should weigh except Ms qualifications. It was desirable to know what alterations to the plant would be necessary, as the plant would need to be up to the requirements of the Borough for some years to comer The cost of a new standardised plant could be obtained practically without trouble or expense. _ It was desirable to first of all come to an agreement on the question of the goodwill to bs paid. The Borough haof given a concession to the Company for twenty-bna years, and it was for the company to sav whether or not it would ask goodwill for something the Borough had given them for nothing. It was -not absolutely necessary to' appoint two arbitrators—if both parties were agreeable it could be done otherwise. Personally he thought the suggestion adopted a spirit of arbitration on a broader basis than provided under the Deed. Both the Borough and the Company had everything to gain by the proposed scheme.

‘‘2o’S IN THE £.” Cr. Richards seconded the motion with much pleasure. He said he was chiefly concerned with the transaction so that the borough should secure for itself the right to light its own town and to generate electric supplies for the benefit of the consumers within its boundaries, and even beyond those boundaries if it found it would pay to do so. That was the object that he personally had in view. If any individual or company had in hand any enterprise of such a nature, it' was incumbent upon the Council to show them whatever consideration they could, provided always that the interests of the Council and the burgesse# were not in any way kept in the background. The first portion of the resolution dealt with the question of the valuation of the plant. That was very necessary, because they should have reliable and definite information as to its efficacy and suitableness for the town. There may be a great deal more value in the present plant than any member of the Council thought. He only hoped there was. He wa* quite prepared to see the Company receive a little more than twenty shillings for every £ of material it thought it could hand over to the Council, provided the Council see that the material and plant was there. Cr. Richards said he made no secret of the tact that he would resent any attempt nl the company to get more than the plant was worth to the Council. It was very necessary that the Council should what necessary alterations would be required. He could not say whether they should buy the plant, but they should know of any I alt orations—he did not say any were : necessary—but ho wanted someone | who did know something about it to 1 give the information ami come to the Council with that information. Side by side with that, it was also necessary to have the estimate of new plant that was required for the whole town not only now, or for to-morrow, but for many years to come. With that information and the estimate of the cost of bringing tlie plant up to date, they would he in a position to m akc a suitable offer to the company. In making {lust offer, it should be fully twenty (lulling* is the £