Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1906-12-06
FRANCHISE GRANTED.
Cjty Council Gives N, D. Ind. Company
Long Distance Privilege. Asks
a$20OO Bonus.

At the meeting of the city council
Monday night. the. NJ orth Dakota Inde
pendent Telephone company was
granted a franchise permitting them
to conduct long distance telephone
service through jamestown with one
paw toll station. The oidinance con
tains an amendment that the tele:
phone company shall pay a bonus 80
the city of $4,000 for the privilege,
and was passed by vote of to as
follows:
Ayes, McElroy. Buckley, Grant,
Sifton, Fl. W. Kelley, Tunstall,
Nays, Dewey.
Absent: e. +. Kelly.
There was very little discussion
about the ordinance as it seem ed to
be the general feeling OF the alder
men that the matter had been thor
oughly threshed out and that moth
ing remained to- be said. The N. D.
Ind. Tel. Co. presented petition
for the franchise signed by several
residents OF jamestown. The special
committee on the franchise, consist
ing of Aldermen Grant, TunstaIl and
Buckley gave their repor6, which
consisted of an amended ordinance
of II sections differing In some re-
spects from the original ordinance as
asked bv the telephone con pany.
Tie II articles are in effect as fol-
lows: The n. D. Ind. Tel. Co., shall
have the right to operate long dis
tance telephone service along one
street or allev in the city running
North and South and one street or
alley running east ard west; that
this service be long distance service
only.
Any person could by petition to
the council have phone installed IN
his residence or Office: any change 10
the poles, wires, e.c., caused oy the
city's changing the grade OF street,
a sewer or water change, etc., should
be MADE py the UelepiIuue vumpa"y
without expense to the city; that
the company shall install and operate
their service in accordance with
methods demanded by the city and
it's ordinances, provided that these
regulations apply EQUALLY to other
long distance companies;th that it shall
not distu, b traffic by its poles, ~lres'
etc. the city shall have the right 10
use the service for police purposes,
fire or other emergencies and with
out charge; that the ordinance snail
not be exclusives; neglect on the COM
pany's part to obey any of the rules
and regulations as laid down by the
city, shall upon notice result ID the
forfeiture OF the franchise; that the
North Dakota Independent Tele-
phone co. shall nave long distance
service in operation from Fargo TO
Bismarck through jamestown oy
July 1st, 1907, and failure to comply
with this article shall result In con
nlete forfeiture Of the franchise ;that
when a permit is obtained from the
city a resident can move q mouse
through tho streets and the company
mus1 see that the poles and wires
do not obstruct such moving; that
there shall be no connection MADE
between two points or phones within
the CITY b7 the company; that there
shall be no charge for maintaining a
nhone In any house or residence,
hevond the usual tolls for service,
and the company shall not connect
with another telepho,a line within
the city: that there shall be no as
sipnment of the franchise or Its pri-
vileqes without the consent OF the
city; that the ordinance shall take
effect On its passage and the hlllng
of the company's acceptance with the
citv and the franchise shall expire
May 20, 1908. The ordinance must be
accept ed within 20 days. The report
of the committee was adopted.
There was little discussion over the
franchise, Mr. Whitney Of the N VI
Tel. Co. speaking few words against
its passage.
Aid Sifton then offered the amend
ment to the ordinance asking the
company a bonus of $4,000 to be PAID
/ into the city's general fund and
when put.. vote it was passed by a
vote of to 2, Aldermen McElroy,
. Dewey, Buckley, Sifton and Il. W.
Kelley voting aye, and. Aldermen
q rant and Tunstall, nay. In fathef-
4 inc his amendment AID. Sifton sald
I that practically every business NAV
with whom he had talked on the
franchise question had asked ''What
lis the city to get in return tor y th's III
valuable gift?"
sAtrorney Mcnarg declared the
amendment illegal. as imposing an