Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1903-01-13
ACTION 1 |: WAS DELAYED
TELEPHONEsBfERG HUNGsCPsUN
TIL NExTEFRIDAT.
BELL COMPANY WILL cEPT.
Failure Of COMMITTEES To Act. Last
Night VIII Postpone q tho 1speal,,=
for One: Month ana Cost the, Rich-
mond Company So 1000. g

I = - =
After warm discussion extending
over an hour or more in the Committee
on Streets yesterday afternoon during
{ reading 81 and other wild adjectivesa
were handed around the 8. committee.
which was evident ly in favor of recon
for ADOPTION the body yiedsd SO far to
the directors as to postpone action on.
the ordinance giving permission to the
Richmond Telephone Company to dis
pose Of the ir plant to the Bell Company,
| until next Friday afternoon.
When the committee met Chairman
3AllSn asked If any representative Of the,
appearing. he asked President Mau ppm
to explain why the Bell Company was
PRoPosIT1oN ACCEPTED.
| President Maupin said that this was
entirely an affair Of the Richmond Tele-
phone Company. The Bell Company had
nothing to do with the petition OF the
10
during the day and the alter had tod
him he would not be present, as he did
| not see that his presence was at. all
mond Company had been accepted by the
officials of the Bell Company in New
YORK, providing the Councii gave It's
ence Of "a representa- tive Of the Bell
Company here could not add to, or take
away. anything from the ordinance.
Mr.. Minor. for the sub committee that
sumo Of It's history: It had been ex-
amined and passed upon by the City At
torney, the City Engineer, and the City
{ EHetrSan With view Of protecting
The tentative ordinance hrst foruiu-s
lated had been amS ended. the sub-com-
mittee had accepted the amendments.
and una nimous recommend its adop-
ton. ~ : &: 5 80 1.
OBJECTED 10 "RAILROADlNG'.'
Mr.. Mann vehemently objected to pass
Ing on this ordinance atzonce. It should
should be given an opportunity to exam
Inc its provisions lntelligently. He pro-
tested against s.railroauilis the n.sa-
sure. Z, q g - =
Mr.. Huber had an amendment which
he proposed to offer for the protection
of the subscribers Of the. Richmond Tee
phone Company. The Amendment for
lows t555 -, Is. - S.
.'section 5. These privileges are grant
ed, however, upon the further condition
that the said Southern Bell Telephone
and Telegraph Company Shall furnish
mond elephone Company unlimted tele-
phone service at the came I'd ties now
charged them until the fixed termina-
ton. Of the present purchase Of the Klcn-
mond Telephone Company, formerly
the Richmond Standard Telephone Com
| pany.'' '-st
-.l.a-a=sE. YIN L4&E1GHlt CoN lhAO10.,
| MIR. Minor said he did not understand
the. object Of. the amendment If It was
| not purely and Simply to defeat the sale
which the Richmond Telephone Company
Richmond Telephone Company had only
eight contracts with subscribers the
others being only from month tosmonth
patrons. the eight subscribers with con
tracts and majority Of the; others had
endorsed the pc tition OF the company.
The Richmond Telephone Company stood
| to lose enormously unless they were al
! lowed to consummate this transaction.
The Bell. Company says it's only object
| in buying out the other company q is Ito
remove friction, the value of the. Rich
mond Comnany's property is very small
| compared With the price it is to receive
CHARGE OF "RAILRoADING.." 5
| Chairman Allen asked to be allowed to
from the chair. He had read the ordi-,
! nance three times had discussion it with
the parties; the city Attorney, City
| Engineer. and City Electrician mad Elk
! mittee had thoroughly tnreshed it over
and unanimously recommended it for
adoption
ing measures through as anybody, but
don't call this by that term. This or
dinanca has been fully digested, and
unless members have some reason to
advance why It should not be adopted,
:
Il was az much opposed as anybody to
the Bell Company, but they have got
their franchise for thirty three years,
and It can't be taken away from them.
will the citizens be in ured py This
consolidation? I say not. 1t will be rsss
expensive and less inconvenient to have
one telephone service.
| viii it injure the city? On the con-
trary. If the Richmond Company does
not sell to the Bell Company the city
VIII have to grant them a subway to put
prediction that twenty Years from now
the tearing up OF the streets by various
companies for this purpose will cost the
city $4,000. l think everybody Is pro-
sWoULD COST 5000.
Mr.. Minor said that another months
ponement of action b.. the committee,
would cost the Richmond Company s5,uvo.
He trusted the committee would act at
once.
Mr.. West asked If the ordinance pro-
Tvided for additional phones for. the city.
Mr.. Whittet, the chairman Of the SUI
committee. read a letter from the Bell
TssRh9g siXng hht IN the
action they would furnish the city ten
additional phones at cost not exceed
ing SO. the phones to be Place4 n such
offices as the Grounds and q Buildings
Committee should indicate.
Mr.. Whittet then moved that action on
the ordinance, be postponed until Friday
afternoon, next. which was adopted by
the following recorded vote:
sAyes-Afessrs. Allen. Bahen, Huber,
Mann. Teefey, West Whittet, and. VIII
liams-8. ~
Noes-Cha irman Otways s.. Allen. and
Messrs. Adams. Burton. Minor. Phil
lips. 49,
The meeting was called solely to con-
slider the telephone ordinance. but the
rules were suspended at the request Of