The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-01-27
House of Reprssentatlves.ropeka. Kan.
PUBLIC TELEPHONES BILL
Mr., Babb Introduces Revised


troduced It in the house. 1t provides that
the county commissioners of any county,
upon petition of 81 per cent Of the tax
payers, may appropriate money or levy
20 build public telephone or telephones.
The commissioners are not TO have power
TO act except by petition. The gist Of the
bill is in the following sections:
Section g. When the petitions that any
! municipality shall own and operate its
telephone system or systems, shall have
been filed, as in this Act provided. the
commissioners Of the county. or the mayor
and the council of the city. shall within
sixty days thereafter, from the sources of
information as may be accessible and
deemed by them 10 be reliable, make or
cause to be made, report and estimate
in writing, of the probable cost of such tel
ephone system, and the extent 10 which
it can be constructed, with the tax author
lied TO be collected and shall cause said
estimate to be recorded upon the public
records fthe county or city. Any one
| or more electors of said municipality may
/ also, in like manner, within said sixty
I days, make or cause to be made reports
and estimates in writing of the probable
cost Of a telephone system for said NUM-
cipality. and the xetent to which it can be
! constructed. with the tax authorized 20 be
| levied, or any one or more of such cleo
! tors, may furnish written estimates of the
! cost, of particular articles. instruments, or
property which IL may be necessary 10 use,
/ in the construction of said telephone sys-
/ TEN, all of which estimates so furnished
/ by electors shall be recorder upon the pub
! lie records Of such county or city, by the
clerk thereof within sixty days after the
filling of the petitions by the tax payers,
/ and for the public information and to aid
officials in the acquisition of said systems
at the lowest possible cost. When said
estimates shall have been filled and re-
corded for the space OF ten days after the
expiration of sixty days the commission
ers Of the county or the mayor and coun-
ell of the city. shall at once proceed to
advertise for sealed bids for the cOnstruc-
ton, equipment and completion of said
telephone system ready for immediate OPP
Grafton, the contract price to be paid in
said warrants or orders, if said tax is not
collected in time for the construction
thereof, but no payment is to be made un-
til said telephone system within said mu>
nicipality shall have been fully completed
and equipped ready for operation and op-
Grated by said municipality for thirty days
and accepted; and said advertisements
shall spacify the amount the municipality
is authorized. as aforesaid, to eXpend and
notify bidders that no bid can be accepted
beyond that amount Said advertisements
shall fix the day for opening said bids and
shall be published in some paper of gen.
eral circulation in said municipality and
-.
state, which said commissioners. or the
mayor and council Of the municipality
may specify by resolution. If any of said
bids be reasonable, within the amount of
said tax the municipality may collect for
the purposes of this Act, the lowest and
best bid shall be accepted and the contract
be made as in other cases contracts are
made in writing by such municipalities
Before advertising for bids the commits
sioners or mayor and council shall cause
plans to be made, generally describing
said system, but bidders may propose
plans and details in their bids. The same
shall be considered in deciding which is
the best bid to accept, or said commission
ers or mayor and city council having as
certained the extent TO which the system
can be constructed and the cost thereof.
may at their option proceed to purchase
the necessary instruments, materials and
property for the construction of the same.
and employ skilled and unskilled labor and
an engineer and superintendent for that
purpose without letting the contract there
for to any contractor.
Section l. The income from each system
so OWNED and operated by any munich
pality shall be paid to the treasurer
thereof to be used in the further extension
OF its system after paying all operating
expenses and repairs and after II shall be-
come self sustaining, and by the treasurer
kept as a special fund which shall not be
diverted until said telephone service ia sat
isfactory to the people Of said municipaIi-
ty, when it may be paid into the general
fund Of the municipality or al its option
charges of the telephone service may be
reduced to the people thereof at a cost
not below the expenses Of operation and
repairs.
Section Q. The commissioners Of any
county or the mayor and council OF any
city. or all such officials OF Municipalities.
50 cooperating for the purposes of this
Act, shall have power to appoint and nav
from the income of such systems or 9TH
sary managers. superintendents. agents
and employees for the construction, pro-
per management and operation Of such
telephone systems: but all managers and
sUperintendents SHAH be persons Of ex-
perience and skin in construction. manage
meut and operations of such telephone
systems. but no such apointee shall be
appointed on account of party affiliations.
Section 10. If for the purpose OF this Act
it shall become necessary for any muni-
cipality 10 acquire lands or other property,
90 any rights spparjenent or incident
thereto for the ownership, const ruction.
extension or other uses Of "a telephone
system. the district court OF the particular
county wherein such land. properly. rights
appurterenJ or incident thereto NAV he
found shall upon application appoint three
commissioners 10 assess the value OF such
sioners heshrdluetaoinhrdl hrdluatao hrdl
land or property or the value If any
rights appurtenent or incident therein
which assessments may include existing
telephone plants and al SUBSEQUENT n-a-
ceedings % such acquisition and psvre,t
therefor shall be paid as in cases of con-
cemnatlon upon behalf Of railway ,,~nor-
alton or telegraph c5mparies ana r.eb
municipalities are herehy further author.
lied for the purpose Of this Act. 70 acquire
within the prescribed limits OF taxation
provided herein land and other prope-v
and rights appurtenent and Inc.den, mere
10 in other states in she way ana 10 The
extent that the law taonish~ll,lbr.s7t
extent that the laws Of other states NAV
permit.
Wash'ng5on. Jan 2s.-Israel Drew
manager Of Charles Frohraaa-s .-Ss--a.
Service com0any. was f5fo7 .7-s.5 S.. 81.