The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-03-13
FIVE WHEELING MEN

Have Subscribed $4,000 to the
stock Of tbs National Telephone
company-The Telephone Fran
chisos to Come Up Before Council
Tonight.
At to-niEht5 meeting Of council the
ordinance of the National Telephone
Company VIII come up for fnal action.
The company's representative an
nounces that some notifications in the
ordinance, which have been prepared
by the company's counsel, will be pre-
scented in the form Of amendments by
friends of the ordinance in council, and
the amendments proposed include an
amendment fixing the maximum rate
for telephones at E36 for business places
and $24 for residences; an amendment
prohibiting any combination with the
Bell Telephone Company under penalty
Of forfeiting the company's tranchlse'
as well as Its property; and an amend
Tnent requiring the National Telephone
Company to enter into a bond in the
sum Of $4,000, with the condition
that II will construct and put In opera
tIon a telephone system in accordance
with the provisions OF the ordinance.
These amendments are to be onered at
the instance OF the company itself for
the purpose of making the ordinance
more satisfactory, and Of giving sat
Isfactory guarantee of It's entire good
faith. The bond 10 be given Is to be the
bond of first class security company.
The Fidelity & Deposit Company OF
Maryland, which means that II Its or
nj nNn
have a new telephone system, or VIII
recover $25,O0O on the bond.
Being asked by an Intelligencer re-
porter why the company voluntarily
proposed such bond, the company 8
representative said: I'VE offer and
propose to give this bond because we
mean business, and as we fully intend
to construct and put in operation the
telephone system contemplated. the
bond can't hurt US, and for the further
reason. that we believe there are q
number OF applications for similar fran
chiBes from parties who DO not mean
business, and we can't believe It possl-
BILE that the council would reject our Or
dinance with such guarantee Of good
faith, and let 1t go to any other partiei
without like guarantee; in other
words, our idea Ia that this will close
the door against any applicants whC
want to get a telephone franchise fol
the purpose Of peddling It. There nri
numerous parties who would be VIII
ing and anxious to take a franchise
from the city and who Will 90 even q
far as to give the city a small bonus y
they can get n franchise, intending z
afterwards sell the franchise to TIT
highest bidder, but our experience hai
been. that those who want to Bpecu
late in franchises OF this kind are neVel
willing TO nut up a bond as a guaran
tee OF their good faith. Our reason fo
proposing the amendment against com
bInatlon with the Bell IL, that there ha
been more or less rumorB, to the etIec
TINT some Of the applications made ar
inspired by the Bell Telephone COmpan!
itself. and Il Is well known that the pol
lev OF this company has been to de
gtroy competition by combination wilt
its competitors; our company Is an In
dependent company and intends .
compete with the Bell In Wheeling, an
in many other cities Wher there are N
dependent companies, PARTICULAR
Plttsburgh, where tho Independent
company Is also owned by Baltimor
parties. therefore we are propo9in
this proposition prohibiting comblna
tion, in order to guarantee TO the PEG
people Of Wheeling permanent compe
tltlon with the Bell Telephone com
"The National Telephone Company
West Virginia corporation, with y
principal ONCE locnted in Wheeling, 81
cordlng 10 It's charter, ana the o iIoy,
OF the corporation win be principell
made up Of wheeling stoekholoeE'