The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-10-04
TWIN CITY COMPANY !.
SAYS "FAVORITISM"
Charges That Discrimination
Is Used In Forcing Its Wires
Underground

The hearing of the application of the
Twin City Telephone company for an
order restraining the city from inter-
fering with the Hague avenue poles
and wires of the company was yester-
day continued to Wednesday, the reply
of the company to the city's answer
being a general contention that the
company is being Disseminated
against
1t is held in the reply that the wires
and poles in question were erected be-
cause the company believed in the
force and intent of the ordinance al
lowing them to be placed there, and
that as their removal would cause
great additional expense to the COM
pany, the action of the council in so
ordering was unreasonable. The toll
lines on the poles were being used to
their full capacity. and with slight re-
pairs would have answered the pur-
poses of the company for ten years.
Says conduits Are Costly
The defense is made that the conduit
system is too costly, and that it is not
necessary west of Dale street, a part
of the city that is sparsely inhabited.
If the company is required to place the
wires underground, it is held that the
work could not be done in less than
six months and that if ordinary delays
are to be taken into consideration, two
years would be a reasonable time in
which to construct the conduits and
put the wires underground for the half
mile.
If the city possesses the power to Or
der the wires of the company under
ground on Hague avenue, it also has the
right to order wires underground in
other sections of the city, and if such
is the case, it would be useless for the
company to attempt to maintain it's
business in St. Paul. Such action is
declared to be an unwarranted discrim-
ination as between the Twin City and
the Northwestern companies and the
declaration is made that if the city
persists in its present attitude it will
be necessary for the Twin City to
withdraw from St Paul and leave the
field to its competitor.
Specifies Discriminate
1t is said that the wires of the
Northwestern on Selby avenue are
more numerous than those of the Twin
City on Hague avenue, there being ten
cross arms on Selby to eight on
Hague avenue, and that the North
western wires are a nuisance if such a
charge can be made against those of
the Twin City company. The lines of
the companies are about $50 feet apart
and the Northwestern wires have not
been ordered underground. It is also
pointed out that the :. Northwestern
company has not beens ordered to re-
move it's poles on sChatswortf,s Vic
toria and Grotto.
In addition, it is charged that other
districts where the Twin City has been
required to put its wires underground
the Northwestern has been allowed to
maintain its poles. In many instances
the Northwestern company has been
| ordered to put its wires underground,
but the order has not been enforced.
1t was the belief of the Twin City
company that the order as to Hague
avenue would not be enforced, particu-
larly as the poles of the Northwestern
company are allowed to stand on the
street. Believing that the order of the
city council in ordering the wires un-
derground was illegal, and that the ac-
ton of the city engineer in cutting
| down the poles and removing the wires
was without authority, the company
| asks that the restraining order be made
permanent.