Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-12-04
Edwards Co. and Te|e-
phone Contracts Sti||in Air.
Former Matter Will Probably Be
Settled by Supreme Court.
City Council Holds Strenuous Meeting on
Above Matters, Saturday Evening.

a special meeting of the city council
was held at the city rooms, Saturday
evening, for the purpose of taking up
the matter of the contract with the
New England Telephone and Telegraph
Co, and also that with the Edwards
Manufacturing Co. the first named
matter was Cor the consideration of the
two branches of the council, but the
latter was something which belonged
10 the upper board, exclusively, and
it is perhaps unnecessary to say that
during the progress of the meeting
each board was literally supplied with
material which furnished an abundance
oil food for thought and argument.
1t was reported. before the meeting
that the two questions, when brought
up would be accompanied by more or
less wind and reactionary disturbances.
and it was also expected that there
; would be quite an attendance on the
part of the citizens. because of the i'm
DoItancc of the matters to be discussed,
but owing TO the storm there were but
few in attendance except the members
of the council and a few of the attor-
neyS Of the city, who had braVed the
iEclemency Of the weather &nd the Skat-
| ing-rink consistency of the streets and
sidewalks, for the purpose of listening
| t. the arguments. and the possible
points of law which they felt might
| be brought out thereby.
The meeting was one of interest from
! first to last, and the only disadvant-
| age connected with it was that the
| spectators found themselves up aga inst
the same proposition that encompassed
| the man who attends 4 twO-ring cir
| cus-there was something doing in both
rooms at the same time during the
greater part of the evening, and as it
| is quite problem for the average NOR
| tai to be in two places at the same
| time, in order to get an idea of what
was going on in the different rooms, it
was necessary to maintain an alternat-
| ing current SO to speak, from one room
| to the other.
The matter first taken UP was that
pany. and in order to do this the two
| boards met in joint convention. In open
ing the convention Mayor Hichborn an
| nounced the objects for which the
meeting had been called, and also the
| puIDOSc IOi "iilCIl TIC Dodi Ns iidu HiCA
in convention. He said that he had been
I Notified that the meeting Of Saturday
evening, Nov. 25. was not a legal one.
| because, as had been claimed by one
| of the members. the notices which had
| been sent out by the city clerk, had
not been delivered in accordance with
the provisions of the city ordinances at
| the usual dwelling places of the MEM
bers. having in some instances been
| delivered at their places of business
and it had been claimed by one of the
| members that in consequence thereof
the proceedings of the meeting above
| referred to were null and void.
| The mayor then went on to say that
| he had referred the matter TO the city
| solicitor, and that that official had CIV
en- it as his opinion that the point had
been well taken and that the meeting
| was, as the member had claimed, il
| legally held. In concluding his remarks
the mayor stated that the matter of the
| contract with the telephone company
| was, therefore. left on the table in the
| lower board. as it had been previous
| to the action at the meeting of Nov. %.
| The convention was then dissolved,
4 the upper branch of the council retir-
| Jig to its room, while in the lower
branch the matter under discussion
| was taken from the table. The text of
the proposed agreement between the
| city of Augusta and the telephone COM
pany for the furnishing of telephone
| service for municipal use, is as fol-
| lows:
In consideration of the sum of one
dollar a year to be paid by the city for
the telephone connection and service
furnished hereunder, it is agreed by
the company that it will furnish To the
| city telephone connection and service
as follows: One set of telephone instru-
| ments and local exchange service in
connection Herewith, fer each two
thousand G000) of population of said
city, as evidenced by the last and each
/ succeeding United States or State CEN
sus of the population of said city, until
said population shall amount to one
hundred and fifty thousand Q50.000)-
il being expressly understood that frac-
| fional parts of two thousand will not
be reckOned in computing the number
| Of telephones to be furnished; such SER
| vice to continue SO long as said COM
pany shall receive from the proper mu-
lnicipal officers, upon its application
therefor. such location of poles and con-
Quits for the maintenance of its wires
as the proper conduct and extension OF
it's business may from time to time re-
auire and all permits. orders and APP
prevails necessary for entering upon ant