Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-17

company TO operate within tn e
limits OF the city Of klchinone
will be fraught with the N ,rso
future danger. unless such ordinance
stipulates conclusively the reasonanle
regulation OF each and every lmpord,.a,lniia !.
feature involving the public interest MS
would include; $500 ..,s-
First. Limitation Of local business, tohu-
ing 10 annihilatc local competitors. $500
Second The requirement OF interchahbt
service with any local telephone company
for service beyond above hml," ,,.,I',.o,,-
Guiding proper Interchange OF in'0'N'
Thir6 A specific limitation OF charges
for conversations 20 the pubic over '"''
lires 10 distant points -. ,o,,t ,ele.
Fourth. A specific charge lot ioS 5',,,, tno
phone instruments ! as ear1enme sc'i
Fifth 4 specific condition that suCn ~ NV,
nbons lines would be furnished lot use'
subject TO the hereinbefore proNiueu ''''''
tatiOns. ,o.., nc,ore ope-
80, ,nAeI tho ordinance that the terms
and conditions be accepted as Col. ei'a,1
the failure or default OF any 49,, -" -,
therein 20 be an immediate FORFEITURE VI
VI, anal Conclusion the writer wishes 10
sa,, and assert as reasonable thal ~
notation which will furnish Ire a. t,re,
FOR years for the purpose OF
ronnetition and proceed 10 the eNtlV.I't,
,i"s 20 tremendous expense to hght asalnst
inc wishes of the people, Is eNpcc'Su ~
80 some great object In view, ana VIII
s',bn,it finally TO reasonable terms anu
conditions in the premises. die u''
OF any e cons "", J. e. KEELYN.
LAID ON THE TABLE.
Mr. Ebel moved that the letter be laid
ON the table. There was some discussion
on this point. In the natural oruer tne
naper would have been returned 10 tno
Board OF Aldermen. but MI BioonoeI
said IL contained so much Valuaoie III
formation and threw new light upon the
l',,lto,t &C far as he was concerned, that
he boned the letter would be kept untll
the teIenhone matter was disposed OF by
tho committee. Mr. Ebels motion pre-
vailed. ,,orr,
The mode of procedure was next dis
crssed The chairman suggested that the
committee should decide whether or not
they would grant a franchise 10 the
American Telephone Company. ana II
tbat nassed to take up the consideration
of the proposed ordinance
Mr.. Ebel said he did not feel ready 10
vote on the question at this Junclure.
Mr. Bloomberg said he was IN FAVOR OF
Twin, tho citv the best telephone in
and said he should like more time 20
consider the matter. Mr.. Carter moved
tbot the consideration of the matter be
rostnoned until $50 o'clock on the l5th
day of April.
BEFORE the motion was put 1t was sus-
pested that counsel on both sizes shouiu
he heard. and Mr.. Guigon was invited 10
exnress the views of his company upon
the question. He urged that the coin-
mittee should not further postpone t.e
matter. but that il they did not reel aple
TO pass upon the subject al that 'Ir'e
tbev would meet at a much earlier GATE
nan the one suggested. The continued
,,ostnonement of the matter was, he
sold menace TO the Richmond Com
Dorv and he hoped that the matter
would be taken up at very early date
WANTED A THOROUGH INQUIRY.
General Meany. representing the Amer
lean Telegraph and Telephone Company
vas then asked if he wished to address
the committee on the subject. lie salu
his company was ready to wait the plea
sure of the committee. Some allusion
had been made TO the expense 10 the
company of sending its representatives
IN the meetings. but he wished TO say
that his company did not regard expense
and was ready 10 attend the sessions OF
the committee at any time. All that
he desired was that the committee should
make the most complete examination or
the various systems. The American
Telephone Company" he said, will We.
come the most thorough examination. II
Won are not fully prepared 10 decide the
matter now. we beg you TO take time 10
consider IL further. If there is any one
who has pertinent objections TO our en-
terprise let them present them. we VIII
meet them. I asked the committee, IN
the name of the company, 10 Visit New
York 20 examine our system because
we had not one i'm operation nearer at
hand. The committee was so courteous
as TO accept our invitation. and ] wish TO
take this opportunity of saying that we
are most grateful for the kindness. IT
has been suggested that it is the inten.
tion of the American Telephone Company
IN mass Richmond by. We do not in
tend to do anything of the sort We are
ready to come here at any time. III
there are charges, let us meet them
Continuing. General Meany said a tele-
phone instrument is a factor, quantity;
Int il isn't all A telephone is something
more than "A box nailed to wall I'VE
offer YOU" he said, "a service that Is
absolutely second to none. There Is
nothing to prevent the Richmond Tele-
phone Company from using long-distance
telephones. There are no patents on
copper wire
At this point General Meany was in
+errunted by the chairman, who said
that while he did not wish to appear
discourteous, or TO curtail the speaker s
remarks he would suggest that the ques-
tion was whether the American Tele-
phone Company had any objection 20 the
postponement of action on the part OF
the committee. General Meany said that
the company was ready and willing to
come at any time that the committee
desired. and he hoped the matter would
not be determined until the fullest nves
tigation had been made.
The question Of an adjournment of
the subject until April 18th was then put,
and carried unanimously
Meters at the Penitentiary.
The Committee on Water held a ses-
sion OF an hour and half last evening,
and transacted a quantity of routine
business. Those present were Chairman
Briggs. and Messrs. Carter. Noble. Car
Der. Zimmerman, Cutchns, and Tanner.
Superintendent Boiling reported that
| he had been over to the penitentiary and
made an inspection of the working OF the
! Water-meterS Whlcn nad Deen placed III
| that institution, and which Superinten-
dent b. W. Lynn had requested the COM
mittee TO remove. Mr.. Boiling explained
that there was nothing wrong with the
meters, but that the cause of Major
| Lynn's complaint was the generally low
pressure throughout the city at different
| periods of the year. This could only be
remedied by the more general use OF
meters. or the laying OF larger mains
| and the establishment of additional pump
| ing capacity.
After being briefly discussed the appli-