The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-03-18
new CHARTER
NOT GRANTED
COUNCIL DENIES PETITION Or.
MoFFETT COMPANY.
TELEPHONE WAR is CLOSED
Rocky Mountain Bell People With
draw Their Proposal for
Franchise Renewal.

TFor the present at least both tele-
phone companies will continue to
operate under their old charters and
should they decide that they want
a renewal before the expiration of
the franchises now held by them
they will have to petition the city
council again.
The request of the Montana & Wy
oming company for new charter was
indefinitely postponed at Tuesdays
meeting of the council. When the
vote deciding the postponement was
announced the Bell company, which
had petition ready for submission,
withdrew it's intended application and
for the time being the telephone
war;" as it has come to be known,
became a closed incident, in the Ian
guage of the diplomats.
Had Only Three Friends.
Since the last meeting of the coun-
Gil the petition of the Montana &
Wyoming company had been amended
so as to include an offer of $500 a
year to the city for the privilege of
operating the company's system un-
der the proposed charter. AS the
franchise was asked for period of
20 years. this would have resulted in
the payment of q total sum of $780,
900. The company declined to accede
to the minority report Of the ordi-
nance committee reducing the
rental Of phones for resi-
dences to $3.50 a month and
adhered to it's original proposition of
50 for such instruments.
The ordinance committee reported
favorably on the amended petition
and recommended that it be granted.
Alderman Bennighoff moved that the
report be not accepted. Alderman
Grein seconded the motion and the
roll was called. 1t resulted in the
following vote: Aye-Bennighoff, !,
Berky, Grein, Sturm and Williams;
no-Brewer, Bouton and Schmudlach.
Having scored, Mr.. Bennighoff now
moved that further consideration of
the company's petition be indefinitely
postponed. The resulting vote was
the same as on the first motion: Aye
Bennighoff, Berky, Grein, Sturm and
Williams; no-Bouton, Brewer and
Schmudlach.
Withdraws Its Petition.
The Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone
company was prepared to submit a
direct proposal to the city as basis
for the renewal of the franchise that
it desired. This company agreed to
pay the same amount as a revenue to
the city as was offered by the Moffett
company. When the council decided
not to grant the prayer of it's competi-
tor the Bell company concluded that
the necessity for action at that time
had passed and withdrew it's petition.
For Next Year.
Being the last meeting of the fiscal
year, the annual appropriation ordi-
nance for the ensuing year was in
troduced. Salaries were fixed as fol-
lows:
Mayor, $120; treasurer, $500; at
torney, $420; clerk, $42O: police mag
istrate, $400; aldermen, each, $72;
chief of police, 5000; policemen, each,
5000; two drivers Of the fire depart
ment, $2,O4O; chief Of fire department,
$1,000; janitor city hall, $500; weigh
master, $500.
The appropriations for the mainte-
nance of the different departments
follow:
Public library, $4,000; fire depart
ment, $4,000; hydrant rental, $4,000;
electric lights, $4,000; streets and
sidewalks, $4,000; fuel, stationery,
printing and incidental expenses,
$1,000; bond interest and for the re-
demption of bond No. 6 of the refund
ing bonds. $2,14O; interest on city
hall bonds, $3.50; police department,
$5,4G0.
The ordinance was adopted unani-
mously.
Must Keep to Alleys.
The ordinance regulating the erec-
ticn of telephone and telegraph poles
within the city limits, introduced at
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