The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-04-18
TELEPHONE FRANCHISE
And Olher Matters CONS Up In the
Council Meeting
GOOD FOR HOME INDUSTRY
More or Less Debate on the Cues
ton of Street SprInkIing-The
Messenger Services Ordi-
nance and Minor Affairs.

portant ordinances tonight, which &C.
suited in the adoption OF on entirely new |
provision in regard to franchises, which |
will prevent people from securing fran |
chises for speculative purposes alone and |
with no immediate intention of using |
them.
Steps were also taken looking to a de-
duction in telephone rates, and " the new
company accepts the franchise,
which was granted it tonight. 1t will be
unable to charge more than So per month
for each instrument, which is 81 less than
the rate now charged by the present COM
pany.
The ordinance granting a franchise to
the new telephone company OF which
Patrick Mullins, III. L. Frank and w.
Nice. White are the trustees, came up for
it's third reading tonight. 1t provided
that the franchise extend for 40 years and
that the monthly rate for each instrument
should not exceed s.. Following the read
ing of the ordinance. Cook urged that
provision be inserted providing that the
company should file its acceptance OF the
franchise within 10 days, together with a
substantial bond, which should be for
feited to the city in the event OF failure
to comply with the provisions. 1t was
high time, Cook said, to head oil specula-
tions on franchises and to the city oecom-
ing partner in such transactions.
Byrne announced that he was opposed
to several sections of the franchise. lin
the first place" said Byrne, 40 years Is
too long for the franchise to run; 70 years
is plenty long enough. In the second
place the maximum rate that TINS com.
pany is allowed to charge should be liked
at SO a month instead of 50. which Is the
rate now charged. In Missoula the
monthly rate is $3.50, and if what hear
be true, this company will be able. to
furnish the best possible service Tor - q
month. There should also be a provision
for rerating by the city council every i've
years, as in five years from now teller hone
service may be furnished at one-thlrd OF
its present cost"
After some scattering discussion, the
council went into committee of the whole,
with Pascoe in the chair, to take the ordi-
nance up section by section and make
such amendments as might be decided
upon. Section 0, which provided that
failure to comply with the provisions OF
the ordinance should result in a forfeiture
of the rights and privileges granted by 1t,
was amended to rend as follows:
That said grantees shall declare their accept
| ance OF this franchise within 10 days from the
| date of the passage OF this ordinance and shail
bond in the sum Of 5000 and upon their failure
| to comply with any of the requirements OF TINS
| ordinance. said franchise and the bond hled Dy
/ the grantees in compliance With this section
| shall be forever forfeited to the city OF Butte
| Section 10 was amended so that $3 iu-
| stead IS will be the maximum monthly
| rate that may be charged for each instru-
ment. A section was so. amended that
| the franchise will run for 20 years instead
| of 40 years. Byrne made a hard but I'M
| successful fight to have an amendment
| tackled onto il giving the council power to
/ establish new rates every tive years II
necessary. The rerating proposition, he
said, was of more importance to the city
/ eli <Ff ha 9TH nfs1a N
would give the city power to create COM
| petition. Dugan and Cook opposed this
amendment on the grounds that II was
both illegal and unjust, as at the end OF
five years an antagonistic council might
reduce the rates to 81 or 90 cents month
and drive the company out of business.
The recommendations OF the judiciary
| committee in regard to the ordinance
| were then inserted in the form OF amend
ments, after which it was passed by n
unanimous vote. E
The ordinance granting franchise to
conduct q messenger service to w. Z.
Morgan and ii. p. Ennise was quickly
disposed of. On motion OF Cook an
amendment was added to it requiring the
trustees of the franchise to file bond of
$500, which will be forfeited If the system
is not completed in three months.
O. NJ. Hall addressed the council in be-
half of the Independent and Citizens
Messenger company, and claimd that the
franchise was wanted solely for specula-
| tive purposes. NJ. ID. Leehy. representing
Messrs. Inorganic Ennise, denied this and
said that his clients wanted the franchise
for immediate use and that IL was q bona
fde business propositions. The counci
evidently believed what Mr.. Leehy said
for the ordinance was immediately passed
by unanimous vote. l5 -
Council bill No. 142, relating to peddlers
was referred on account of an error in the
wording. .tl.a a
The printing committee recommended
that 200 copies of the city engineers re
port be printed at cost not to excee
: $140, and the report was adopted. Thu
.. judiciary committee reported. recon
; intending that council bill No. 40, grant
ing a franchise to w. &. Morgan and II
p. Enn.se for messenger service, b.
| passed and a bond fixed at $4,000, ant
/. chise TO Pat Mullins, w. Nice. White ant
l II. L. Frank to build and operate ne,
: telephone service, be passed with the 70
a 10 wing amendments: That work on tn
Y construction of the plant aud system shal
commence within six months instead Q
eight and that the system shall be con
n pleted aud in working ordcr within
months instead of Is; and that the pal
ties asking the franchise file an accept
4 ance thereof and file q bond in the sum {
|. $4,000 that they agree to furnish the cit
with eight telephones free of charge.
o The passage of council bill No. IA
prohibiting the peddling of meats, fruit
aud vegetables. except by residents of I'll
). | state, who raise their produce of whic
r they seek TO dispose, was also recon
mended.
The annual report of the public libr
|. rian, as published in the STANDARD, WI
n read aud accepted.
The sprinkling committee submitted
report dividing the city into two sprin
DR. ling districts. Under this report, Sou
a Butte would be entirely shut of from Il
service of the sprinkling carts and q
district to be sprinkled would be gre
deal less than that which was cover
last year. Vivion opposed the report {
the reason that il left out the outlying d
y tricts, which were taxed last year for q
e. purchase OF new sprinkling carts, viii
On would have to be stored away
C. a shed IL the report was adopted.
moved that the report be referred back
the snrinklinr committee for further &C