THE GAS CONTROVERSY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 565, 21 July 1909, Page 9

THE GAS CONTROVERSY.

STATEMENT BY THE MAYOR. FIGHT TO THE HITTER END." ■Discussing the position as to the Gas Com- : pany and; the* City.'Council yesterday, the : Mayor. (Dr: A l .' K. Newman) informed a representative of The Dominion-that the main .'princspld>the'.City Council was : fighting .for was that no gas coapany or any other com-; ?any>.should . have any rights frem Parlia--■ment'.againsfc .fcke , city..' Be'considered'.'that ■ it is .the, duty of the Mayor and councillors to uphold this priaciple, , and that they, are elected to look after . the', interests of the . sitiiens as a whole, and not of.&.few of, th,em. The ;Gas 7 Company "was, seeking to get). ad-, vantages .;for'itself which, the City ■ Council is firmly , are against the interests, of the city. * Moroover, the Mayor, and his council are fully determined'to "uphold the ■ prinoiple that they. and ■. they alone eAould feovorn the city, and- that it should bo lra- ;: possible,"aj! it -is'eertamly : mest , wrong; jthat: any company : should be able, to go to Mini-, iters ana get what" is known in America, as ; ' the franchise .against the city without payiiig ■ anything ■ for that franchise.,- Further, . the ■ Mayor contends 'strongly that ;the company should* n'ofc; be ' allowed ; to obtain the_ rights, sought, w'lthout. the consent of' th.O pity. ,It is "urged-? that if the. Mayer and councillors ' submitted to .the present pHttedtfr'o any compa.ny. in. Wellington -that lias (..sufficient, mtlu&nce with the Government oould. get rights against, the oity, 1 ' and 1 the City Council would have eo duties to perform. Dr.. Newman holds'that the City Council has been most ■■ reasonable:in the present-negotiations. The. /Council has no "down'i on.the Gas Company, nand had. throughout; resolved to trout .the, -fairness and equity. .If. the.-,,G0-,. : veintnent by' ;Order-in-Councilr allowed the ■ Gas Conipany,- to do 7as it. desired ; w ith-.the. simply imeant,that the .Gas Company.. : would' have the; right for all tima, and .with-;, tout any'payaent to the' eity, ,U> lay .mains, from its,works in to its Miramar - works: 1 . - The company, could lay the mains wherever-'it pleasedj-it need giye.no, netioo to the council about streets, it could go through line -.Basin 'Reserve or ; other rcseryis and. through, leaseholds, and othor properties,.,in- | yolvihg.the. city, in., considerable exMnse.; .and j yet the city,-under the Order-in-Gouncil the Gas Company-was.- seeking,: would- have .- no redress;- -In short; -the.-company oould do. as it likes, and defy the city. , Anothor thing the Mayor and councillors , resonted was the way in which the clause ''giving- the above powers-.was,, as it .were,. ' smuggled: \through - the House..: ; The .city, view l that tho company should, have pro-, ceoded'to get what: it'required by a,local Bill when ; the City , Council; would have been. a{h. prised', of - what was being deme.,.-Instead .of. this -procedure being adoptod,; a clause' was introduced into-a general "Washing-up Bill" during-the dying-hours.'of .the• giving' tho enormous .powers complained, of.. ■ The clause was never printed and circulated,' and itho Bill was not printeduntil' the last, moment. At the ■: eleventh - hour, the'.: lat6 Mayor, tho Hon. T! W. Hislap,' discovered : the matter, and induccd the : Prime Minister. • to -insert' the words whiclrmake. an, Order-in-. ■ Council ~ necessary j which means tho consent of ,tho Ministry of tho day." ;/■■ ■ Thfl Mayor; and councillors are unanimous in resisting tho Gas Company, and tho 'mat-, ' ter will be fought out to tho. hitter,end, unless in-the meantime- some satisfactory arrangement is arrived at.«.vv.-,'-. ; .' -. ' Tho Troublous Clause. ■ The clause in the "Washing-up Bill," over, which the trouble has' arisen, 1, reads as un- '■ : "In - any case in which a company within the meaning of the Gas Companies' and Con-. Sinners' Liability Act, 1882;; is 1 authorised by : : any statute -.or otherwise: to supply gaa to 'the/inhabitants'-of any borough or- other di 6- : trict, ; and has before or after the, pawing! of - this -Ait"erected in> any neighbouring through' or. district any ■ works-for the - manu-. • factUre-or isterage , of-, gas, it- shall bo lawfui for'the said company, with the consent of ' the ' Govenior-iri-Oaunoil,- for . the pun)«se ■ of connecting: such , works.. with .the,,. first- • named 'borough .-or:adifl#ricfe««trtfla^Mi'-««d : : the soil: of any pavement;; or- any . -■ streets,-vroads, 1 .bridges,:, or: thoroughfares, in ..the (said ;■■ works:.areFiit^it^'dj-afi'd.'' tb ; drains, or • waterpipes tthefreunder to such an extent ras may .be accessary, and; to lay- down; retain, and from /time,to,'time :,repair ? or Tenew -■ suoh mains or • pipes - therotindor,, as /m'ay- ; be- required for tho conveyance- of gas , to-and from:the eaid works. In:the--exeeu- \ tion ■of - the. powers- 'h«Mby: conferred,, the, company- shall,, do -as little damage as may tKij and shall ' mako oompansation ,for any damage done." ' An Indignation: Po?s|Mß.;i , , It -is reported in: various , quarters that • .'With-iu- the i'nert fewdayi the ''City :€ounpil will call - a ■ public; meeting,' at twiiich the position as between, tho city and tiio Gas Company- will be discusscd. ■ , position of tho Cas Company. According to ;Mr. ■ William Ferguson, manager of the Gas Company, the company does not intond. to pay a. penny, .unless complied to' for' t-ho right.-of laying.a.main te the Miramar works. What tne company was'-quito.lagroeablo ;to,^h6wever;;'and .what its:: solicitors could bo instructed -,to add .to a; communication to ,; the Acting-Prime Minister,- was a proviso, on the part of the com-, '''panySthat!^fe'ia^g': , of; I tae. - ,inainv''^»B;- i to.' give it'no rights 'in'"Melrose ,whatever ; also , an- undertaking not -to make any connection withview to the reticulation of the Melrose district., The,company is',also prepared ■ to. ; add; to ' the Ordor-in-Council that the line ' Df' pipcs" laid through .Mclrose; was ■ subjcct to the Companies Act,'.which gives, the City . .Council the ; right of. supervision.. .: ,