The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-03-04

month for each rented phone for the
first five years of the life of the new
franchise. At the expiration Of that
time it is willing to pay 12A cents
for each instrument, per month, con-
ditiOnal that the charter be exclusive.
AS to rates the company declares it's
willingness to. bind itself that the max
imum shall be not to exceed 81 a
month for each instrument in a busi-
nes house; So a month for those
in use in Offices and 50 for residences.
Party lines shall be charged for at
one-half of the above rates, but there
shall be no more than four telephones
on any party line.
The Minority Report
Mr.. Sturm recommended that the
maximum rate for instruments in
residences shall not exceed $3.50 a
month, with no limit to the number
of conversations subscribers may
have. It is further advised that the
company shall agree to surrender the
franchise it already has within a limit
ed period after the passage of the
ordinance granting the application for
the new charter. Next he recon-
mends that the application for the
new franchise be so amended that
the company shall agree to pay to the
city the premium of 5 cents for each
instrument during the full life of the
franchise, regardless of whether there
shall be a competing system; the COM
pany is to be prohibited from selling
it's franchise without first obtaining
the consent of the council on penalty
OF forfeiture of the charter.
II the. amendments recommended in
the minority report are accepted, the
report concludes, the council should
grant the petition and submit the ap-
plication to a vote of the freeholders
of the city.
Majority's Second Report.
A second report was made by the
majority, this on the petition of the
Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone COM
pany that the council fix a date on
which to receive competitive bids for
a franchise.
The committee disposed of the mat
ter in brief fashion by reporting that
it was unable to find anything in the
statutes giving the council the right
to receive competitive bids for char
ters. 1t recommended that the petit
ton be laid on the table.
Majority Report Rejected.
After the two reports had been
read by the clerk Alderman Bouton
moved the adoption of the majority
report. The motion was seconded
by Mr.. Brewer.
Mr.. Bouton made an address OF
considerable length in favor of his mo-
ton and gave several reasons why,
in his. opinion, the petition should
be granted. He said the Montana &
Wyoming company was eminently a
home ICE and should receive
liberal treatment. He said that the
continued growth of the city made it
imperative that the present system be
extended and improved. To enable
it to do this the company would be
obliged to secure additional capital,
and that this capital could be all the
easier obtained if the company had
a franchise of longer duration than
the one under which it is at present
operating.
Alderman Bennington went on rec
ord as opposed to the acceptance of
the report. He said that the rival
company had come here in good faith
and had invested it's money and was
entitled to as much consideration as
any one else. 1t would be manifestly
unfair to permit it to come here,
make great expenditures, erect an
| elaborate system and then at the ex-
piration of a few years kick it out.
| Mr.. Bennighoff spoke quite lengthily
and covered his ground thoroughly.
BY permission w. M. Johnston, at
torney for the Bell people, addressed
the council in reply to Mr.. Bouton's
| argument. He said that while it was
proper to safeguard the investments
of home capital in every reasonable
manner, instances occurred when it