Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-01-10
A LONG SESSION.
The $1,000 License on Telephone
Company Discussed.
An Opinion Oh the Bills Submitted by the
Old Police FOrpe-Res0lution Of
Respect

+ City council met last night with mem
Z bers English. johnson. Brown, Harris
q Buckridge and Simison present. Il was a
late hour before quorum was present and
very many feared that the cold weather
.iiwould preventa meeting despite the I'M.
tportanUe of meeting. The lobby was
moderately filed, no one seeming to be
present for fun but strictly on business.
johnson, Of gas committee, recommended
/ gas mains extended on Fourth avenue
south from Douglas avenue to Lewis street
land lights ordered on street corners The
report was adopted.
Buckridge-It is awell known fact that
the old police have been sending in bills
since the Nets" come on, and want TO
+ know Of the city attorney if we owe such
bills
!, City Attorney Dyrer-The city council has
no power over police and can't hire or dis
I'charge Have no right 10 pay any police
bills unless sent in by police commission.
| II these bills come in from commission all
we can do is to pay them. This metropoli-
tan police law discharged the old force or
placed, and we have nothing TO dow-ith it,
/ Doyou think weara liable for bills Of old
| loTce sent in?
Mr.. Dyref-Certainly take the response
bility to say thatwe are. not compelled to
pay these bills and if we do pay them
without the Ellis being 0 K-by commission
/ the council as individuals viii be compell-
ed to pay
Mr.. Harris, of fire con.mittee, announced
that they had looked around for city offices
and had decided that the Polk
building, on West Douglas avenue, was
the most suitable location found and at
L the most reasonable terms, getting the
Upper floor for - per month. Tie matter
Was referred to the fire committee with.
power to act, it being the general opinion
that the rooms mentioned would be the
most satisfactory for city headquarters.
The committee was Instructed to rent the
building for year with privilegeof long
er time if that could be gained
Mr.. Hoffman, of the water works com
paiy, asked the privilege of taking the
stand pipe down that is at Tie old water
station. He stated that the pipe is no
longer of any use, nor could it, until ordi-
nance is changed, be taken down.
Mr.. Hoffman produced a communica-
also presented ordinance for making the
change,
The communication and ordinance was
referred to the waterworks committee and
the city attorney.
When the license committee was called
there was no member present, and attor-
ney Fred w. Bently asked the council to
give Charles S. Gleed, from Topeka, attor-
ney for the Kansas & Missouri Telephone
Company, hearing concerning the late
action of the council in imposing license
tax of $1,000 annually on the telephone
company. The hearing was granted,
and Mr.. Gleed said, among other
things, that he had come to
Wichita surprising that the ordinance was
still pending, but found that il" had been
passed. He took it for granted that the
action Of the council was purely an AMIGA
bic one-that there was no telling of ami
mostly towards the company on the ser
vice. In the same spirit he merely wished
30 call the attention of the council to the
side Of the matter The council
had doubtless acted with the understand
ing first that it could lawfully levy the
special tax, and second that could
fairly and justly levy it because
Che company was making great
profits Tou'hing he fist of these TWO
points thr ordinance OF November, 1>>ti
provided that the conluany should lie cN-
emp from special taN "n condition that it
furnish 'hr ON n fire alarm system at a.
:, Nrr low rate $!j.-ircr box Under this :
8rairanc" rJe company put in az insulated I.
q. At If "a