Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-09-16
COUNCIL TAKES HAND
Names Committee to investigate
Merit of Telephone Opera
tors Strike.
GIRLS ATTEND THE MEETING
To Hear Further From Barber
Asphalt Com
pany.

| me hrSt thing to engage the at
| tention OF the city council at the reg
ular meeting last evening was a petit
ton in behalf of the striking Central
! Union telephone operators of this
city and Moline, asking that the mu-
nicipal Legislative body take up the
case and make an investigation into
the merits of it. \ committee rep
resenting the Tri-City Labor CON
gross, which had framed the petition.
and the Operators association was
present, and upon invitation NJ r.
| Kennedy, of Davenport, made an adj
dress in which he explained the atti-
tude of the congress and upheld the
cause of the strikers, characterizing
the telephone company as a "souIless
corporation that is coming money
out of the very lives of its employees"
\ motion authorizing the mayor to
appoint Il committee such as was
asked to investigate and report at
the next meeting was made and car
ried, and the mayor named as the
members of it Aids. Anderson, Eek
hart, White and Trefz. Then Miss
Anna Sieghartner, OF this city, presi-
dent of the Operators organization,
arose and said: "In behalf of the OPP
orators L thank you and hope that
you will continue to give us your sym
pathies.' The committee then left
the hall and the council turned to
other business.
AS to Asphalt Paving.
The city clerk read letter from +.
=. Cox. representing the Barber As
phalt Paving company, in which he
set forth the facts as stated in yes
terday's Argus, To the effect that his
company refused to bid on the spec
ifications as advertised for the inn
proving of Twenty-first street be-
tween Tenth and Twelfth avenues
with asphalt. The c;am was made
that there was flaw i'm the ordin-
ance that rendered it doubtful wheth-
er the assessment against the adj
joining property could be collected
after the paving had been completed.
and it was pointed out that an amount
of material was required that would
make roadway heavy enough for
the traffic of a business street and
would cost much more than would b.
the case were the specifications fran
ed for light traffic. City Attorney
Scott arose to state that the com
pany was averse to bidding on any
but its own specifications, and City
Engineer Triechler. who prepared the
specifications, declared the company
wanted the ordinance to specify ma
terial upon which the firm had mo-
popoly, negIecting to explain, how
ever, why other firms had not made
Il bid as they might have been expect
cd to do. Aid. Kennedy was ready
with a motion to receive the commu-
nication and place it on file, thus
killing the entire proposition. This
he later withdrew i'm favor of the mo-
ton for which it was a substitute Of
fered by Aid. Anderson that the mat
ter be referred back to Mr.. Cox for
a more explicit statement by the
next meeting.
Court Costs Paid.
The payment of SOS court costs in
the damage case of Hussy w. Etzel
was authorized i'm order to secure the
dismissal of the suit, which was set
for a hearing before Judge Gest to-
day. The proceedings were against
Andrew Etzel, who was charged with
falsely imprisoning the plaintiff
under the former administration of
Mayor Knox. The bill for court costs
in the Twenty-first street paving case
was reported back from the claims
committee in an abbreviated condi-
ton and was allowed. claim of
Mrs. Clementina Busch for 500 for
the loss of horse that was killed by
falling into ditch on Twcnty-first
street was referred.
The Union Electric Telephone &
Telegraph company had Il petition
before the council asking the right
to erect line of poles to Milan from
the city limits via the Twelfth street
road. The matter was referred to
the city clerk with instructions to
notify the company that the city has
no jurisdiction over the highway in
question.
License to Sell Meats.
Aid. Naab presented an ordinance
that will probably awaken protest
from the grocers of the city. 1t pro-
vides for amending the ordinance Ii
ccnsing butchers so that it will in
clude the grocers who make prac-
tice of selling sausage and meats il,
other forms in competition with the
butchers The license is S25 year.
The amendment was referred.
AID Kennedy secured the passage
of resolution requesting the city
engineer to bring an ordinance for
the placing of Twenty ninth street to
grade so that it can be paved, and
Aid. Anderson's resolution requiring
the health committee to investigate
the condition of the detention hospi-
tai was adopted.
Aids. Blochlinger. Kennedy and
Willis were appointed committee to
draft resolutions of sympathy with
the family of AID. Westbay in their