The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-11-23
Holds Certain Clause Stricken Out
of New England Telephone &
Telegraph Co. Franchise Or
der Should Have Been Retained
WANTS STREETS IN
CONTROL OF CITY
Believes Right to Remove Poles
Should Remain With the City
Follows Precedent of Mayor
Dodge Who Vetoed Telephone
Bill While in Office

meeting of the Board of Aldermen, I'M
der which the New England Telephone
! & Telegraph Company was granted To-
cations in various streets. The mayor
| holds that certain clauses stricken
| out of the original franchise order
| should have been retained.
The veto message follows:
City of Worcester, Mass.
Executive Department
! Mayors office, November q, 1901.
To the Board of Aldermen of the
| City of Worcester:
Gentlemen
| l return herewith, without my ap-
| prevail, the order adopted by yourHon-
orable Board on November II, 1901, au-
thorizing the New England Telephone
& Telegraph Company of Masachu-
sets to erect and maintain poles and
wires upon certain streets, for the fol-
lowing reasons:
The same rights granted to the said
company in this order were granted
in an order adopted by your board on
July s, 1901 and approved by me on
July TO- 1901. The telephone company
did not comply with the terms of the
order so far as the manner of ac-
ceptance of the same was concerned
as they inserted in their acceptance
certain reservations which resulted in
rejection of the order.
In this new location several claus
es contained in a previous order adop-
ted by your board earlier in the year,
have been omitted, and which appear
to me of so great importance that they
ought to be included in said order,
not only because of their Importance
IN fhaca r,artiH111ar tnpo finnC hlrf he
cause of the precedent that will be es-
tablished by their omission.
Clause II Of the previous order but
which in this order is numbered 10, has
been so changed as to no longer make
any provision for a reservation of
space at the top of all poles
for wires used in electric light
ing of the streets. Our streets are
already, in some localities, so incum-
bered with poles of various descrip-
lions, that it seems very desirable to
me whenever it is practicable to con-
solidate the wires of different COM
panies using our streets that the same
ought to be done.
On many of the streets included in
this location there are as yet no cleo
trio light poles, and it does seem tina
when electric lights for street purposes
are placed in these streets that the!
ought to be permitted to use the pole
already in said streets:
Clause 10 of the previous location
which l deem of very great importanc
to the city, has been entirely omitte'
from this order Said clause provide
that cat any time, upon vote and or
der duly adopted by said Board of Al
dermen, said company shall forthwith
and within such reasonable time az
may be fixed by said Board construc
dergroundconduits for the accommo
dalton of such wires as may be strung
upon the poles or any Of them herein
authorized hereby, of such size anc
character as may be designated in sucf
vote or order. and shall thereafter
within such reasonable time as may
be designated by the said Board take
down and remove all such poles anC
wires as may be in the streets ant
parts of streets designated in said vote
or order, and in the event of failure
and refusal so to remove such poles
and wires the City of Worcester may
remove the same at the expense 0.
said company"
1 believe that at all times, the streets
of the city should be so far as possible
under the control of the city itself
would, for any reason whatsoever
seem desirable to remove the pole!
erected in accordance with the terms O
this order, the city ought to be in {
position where it could compel the com
pany to remove said poles.
The company cannot, in my judg
ment, seriously complain of the re
tention of this clause because 1t als(
provides that the poles can only be re
moved when conduit locations arr
granted to take their places. Many o
or aY within a II We
ly short distance from the centre o.
the city, and the time cannot be far dis
tant when the desirability of removing
the poles altogether, will appear. Tit
willingness at the present time of othe
corporations to substitute conduits TO
pole locations ought to have some in
fiuence in the retention of this clause
I find upon further investigation tina
the telephone company is already ac
streets included in this orde
by having their wires attached
to the poles Of the Worceste
Electric Light Company, and there Il
no occasion, so far as the patrons 0
the company are concerned, for tn
granting of any pole rights to thi
company in many Of the street
named.
I might say in conclusion that boil
of the clauses referred to above wer
included in locations granted said com
pany by your honorable board on Jan
uary twenty first last, which were We
toed by my predecessor but which wer
passed over the veto, and the compan.
accepted said locations and erecte'
poles and wires in accordancewith sal
locations Notwithstanding the fac
that both Of these clauses were in
cluded in them.
Respectfully,
{ Signed) Philip ]. O'Connell, Mayor
Last winter an infant child of minG
had Group in a violent form" say: