The Savannah morning news., 1904-05-25
so MANY POLES
ARE NOT WANTED
CITY MAY REGULATE THEM.
SPECIAL ORDINANCE ON THE SUB
JECT MAY BE INTRODUCED.

Alderman II. j. DnVant Making In
vestigation of Regulations in 9th
err Cities-The Fight Between the
Western Union and the Postal
Over the Poles Leading to the De
Soto Started the TrOubIe-Wires
May Go Under Ground.
AS a result of the fight several
weeks ago between the Western Union
Telegraph Company and the Postal
Telegraph and Cable Company over
the wires leading to the De Soto Ho-
tel, an ordinance may be passed by
Council regulating the use of poles
within the city limits.
Alderman r. ]. Davant is now MAX
ing an investigation of the regulations
in other cities in regard to the use
of poles, and an ordinance may be
drafted as a result.
When he has obtained sufficient data
he Will lay the matter before the Com
mittee on Streets and Lanes, of which
he is chairman. 1t will be left with
the committee as to whether an ordi-
nance is needed.
How Trouble Started.
The Western Union and the Postal
1T will be remembered, were for d
time using the same poles on Drayton
and other streets. When the Postal
Company opened it's De Soto Office,
where the Western Union had for
merly had a monopoly, the Western
Union gave the Postal notice to re-
move its wores from the Western
Union poles.
The Postal appealed to the city, and
Mayor Myers held the matter up d
day for investigation. He found, how
ever, that there was no ordinance
whereby the city could require one COM
pany to allow another to use its poles.
The Mayor notified the companies that
he had been unable to find any ordi-
nance on the subject. and the Western
Union cut down all of the Postal wires
from its poles. The Western Union
had previously removed it's wires that
were on Postal poles.
Postal Satisfied Now.
The Postal then petitioned Council to
be allowed to erect poles leading to the
De Soto. This petition was referred
to the Committee on Streets and Lanes.
The matter has not yet been decided,
though the Postal has again got its
telephone company being used. AS the
Postal is already in the De Soto, the
decision of the city so far as this par
ticular line is concerned is not of great
Importance, but the city officials de-
sire to thoroughly investigate the mat
ter and prepare for future questions
that may arise.
On many of the streets of the city,
the numerous poles present very un-
slightly appearance. Almost all the Of
fcials think there are too many poles
on a number of streets and desire to
remedy the matter in some way, or at
least to keep more of them from be-
ing erected. 1t is not believed, how
would be popular with the companies.
Regulated in Other Cities.
In a number of other cities the mat
ter is regulated by ordinance. The
ordinance may require all the wires to
go under ground within a specified
time, but this seems doubtful since
the city, too, would have to put it's
wires underground. A provision may
be incorporated giving the city the
right to force competitive companies
to use the same poles, where the city
does not care to have more poles erect
ed on q particular street. This, 1T is
believed, would bring a howl from the
companies. The Streets and Lanes
Committee will consider all of these
questions, when the data that Alder
man Davant is gathering from other
cities is presented them.
The matter will not be taken up by
the committee for several days yet,
as Alderman DaVant has heard from
only few of the cities he wrote to
for information.