Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-12-12
NO MORE FRANCHISE.
The Board Concurs In ReYokinS the
Telephone Company'S Privileges.
DAY-LADOA ORDINANCE REJECTED.
A Great Deal of Discussion Upon Both Nat.
ters-Street Work Ordered-Night
Colcred school Wanted.


of important business arose and was as
posed OF with the promp,ness and sagac'ty
characteristic OF the TRANSACTIONS
OF that body President Turpin
filed the chair and Messrs. Allen.
Blake. BoykIn. Gray, IIardwlcke. King,
Mann, Mitchell. Moore, Mountcastie'
Noble. Reeve. Snead, Starke, Vaughan
and White were in their usual seats.
The only absentee was Mr. James Bahen'
whose sad detention was known to all.
But little business came up from the
| several committees. The Board agreed 10
the resolution requiring the Manchester
Railway and Improvement Company 10
furnish n seven-minute schedule on Its
Marshall-street line, and directing that
its cars be kept IN better order.
A number Of official bonds which had
| been approved by the Committee on FL
nance were accepted.
THE TELEPHONE FIGHT.
Mr.. Boykin moved a suspension OF the
rules that the representatives, OF the
| Southern Bell Telephone Company and
| others Interested In the question OF re-
| voking the franchise OF that corporation
might be heard. This was opposed by
| Mr. Hardwicke, who said he thought
| those speeches should be made In the
| committees where the details of such
matters were gone into The motion to
suspend failed Of passage, but there was
| a. reconsideration, and the motion was
| adopted Mr.. Allen. Of Madison ward
was opposed to taking action on the sub
iect without light. lie said that the
question now came up in an entirely new
form and In q form which was vital.
| The telephone ordinance was read ana
there was q great deal of discussion as
TO how much speaking should be had
upon the subject. II was finally dccldeh
that the time allowed TO speakers on
each side of the question be only fifteen
minutes altogether. the speakers TO De
selected among themselves. On motion
Of Mr.. King the City Engineer was heard.
He referred at the outset 10 the meetings
of the Committee and subcommittee on
Grounds and Buildings upon this question.
and said that there were mum Der OF
intricate features to the matter which he
would not 90 into. He referred briefly
10 the separate pole and conduit ques-
tions and TO the pole ordinance adopted
several years ago. but never accepted pE
tho company. He said the company was
now operating upon old poles under an
ordinance of the Council. and upon acdl-
tional poles under resolution OF the
Committee on Streets not even adopted
by the Council.
WHERE TIE CITY is AT.
Under the existing conditions, ColoneI
Cutshaw stated that 1t was very difficult
for the CITY 10 tell where it stood in the
matter Of poles without hunting up iran
cbises. resolutions, etc. The city Engl-
neer was Of the opinion that the Couh-
ell should revoke the old franchises ana
start out afresh. This would ria the
company Of a monopoly, and place all
CORPORATIONS desiring to enter the tele-
phone field here upon fair and
equal footing. The matter OF the
use Of one company's poles by another
company was very simple one COM
pensation being arrived at by arbitra-
ton when an agreement cannot De
reached by said companies.
The City Engineer spoke Of the PROPOSE
ton for conduit privileges, and said that
this did not mean that every pole in the
streets would be taken down, or that
conduits would be laid In all the streets
wherein there are now poles. 1t only
meant that for the present the pipes
would be constructed short way in
Main Broad. and Cary streets, ana a
few OF the cross streets. He assumed
that at the proper time the Council
would permit conduits TO ba run. But.
he added, there should be the proper re-
strictIons and no company should be
given a monopoly Colonel Cutshaw, in
conclusion. declared that this was the
time for the Council to revoke the old
ordinance Of the Southern Bell Telephone
Company, and for 1t to adopt a general
ordinance under which any incoming
company would have an equal showing.
This was his recommendation as city
Engineer, as he had given 1t to the Com
mittee on Streets, the Committee on
Grounds and Buildings, and to the Com
mon Council
THE QUESTION A BUSINESS ONE.
Mr. s. S. p Patteson, counsel for the
telephone company was rendered the
privilege Of addressing the body. lie
regarded the question as a business one.
II would appear. said he, from what
had taken place, that the city of Rich
mond had called upon the company for
thirty-nne free phones, and because the
telephone people had seen fit to deny
the phones. the city desired TO retOrt
by repeating the companys privileges.
Mr.. Eatteson said the company had
come before the Board Of Aldermen TO
ask what the city wanted or
expected OF IT, I'VE think" Mr.
PattesOn went on 10 say, that
II you refer this question to
committee, in order that n fair hearing
could be given. Then If you would let
US know what you want I am satisfied
that the company would grant IL If II
was reasonable. We ask a hearing In
order that we may know what you wish
us to do. The telephone company desires
to live In harmony with the city. II is
doing a satisfactory business here. There
are no complaints as to the service given.
and as the telephone business IS rather
a singular one. the city would soon find
itself In the present situation If the Coun-
ell revoked the privileges Of this company
and permitted a new concern to come
in and establish an exchange. No man
wants two or three phones in his Office
It would not be practicable" Mr.. Pat
teson's remarks closed with the request
that the Board should give the company
a fair and impartial living.
ENTER a RESPECTFUL PROTEST.
Major Robert Stiles was next heard.
He said he did not want the company
to be understood as allowing the question
to go by default. He was present to enter
a respectful protest against the revokal
of the companys franchise. The sub
committee from the Committee on
Grounds and Buildings did not want 10
be placed in the position OF asking for
free phones, and yet when the company
refused to give the instruments. the
question of taking away the franchise
arose. "If you did not want free
phones" said Major Stiles, then you
cannot have any ground for complaint Of
the company's action in that line" Major
Stiles spoke OF the city's wires being
upon the poles Of the company, and said
that the whole question went back to
the fight made in the Street Committee
TO keep the strong current and the weak
current wires upon the same poles. which
the company had clearly demonstrated
was impractical. In its stand In this
matter the Southern Bell Telephone Com
pany had regarded largely the safety
OF the life and property of the citizens
Of Richmond. Major Stiles spoke of royal
ties. and said that the company was
not paying quite as much royalty as II nal
in the past, but was paying nearly as
much. and the revoking or the IRAN
chlse here might mean almost intermina-
be litigation and trouble. The Major
said that Mr. McCluer had been Incorrect
ly reported In the papers In the publica-
,to,, % tho effect that he had SAID tnat