Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-22
TAKEss.,NO ACTION
Aldermen Talk About Phone
Franchise, but Decide to Wait
Until Decision Comes.
COPY HAS BEEN SENT FOR
New Phases of Question Presented by
Supreme Court Ruling-Discuss
Filter Plant Scheme.

The city council. in committee of the
whole, last evening considered the
proposed amendment to the Union
Electric Telephone & Telegraph com
pany's franchise, but took no definite
action, on the request of the city at.
torney The ordinance and the gen
eral telephone question were discussed
for some time. by members of the
council representatives of the com,
pany, and Dr. w H. Ludewig, Presi
dent F. II. Myers and Rating Secre-
tary Albert Huber, members of the
committee of the Rock Island Business
Mems association. Several old phases
of the matter were further discussed
and few new points of view brought
out in the discussion.
Wait for Decision.
The relation of the Union Electric
ordinance and rates to the Central
Union litigation was the subject of
much discussion and the point on
which the consideration of the ordi-
nance sticks. The council will do
nothing which may handicap the city
i'll this fight, for the present, and the
argument is advanced that the in
crease in rates of the new company
would be of assistance to the Central
Union in maintaining the position that
its rates are not eXhorbitant.
Alderman Ostrom toward the close
of the session, offered a motion that
the committee of the whole return a
favorable report to the regular coun-
Gil session on the ordinance. This
was withdrawn on the request of City
Attorney Witter. who urged that the
aldermen delay any definiten action at
least until the opinion in the Moline
case is received from Springfield
Put Two on Level.
f. ]. Burns of the telephone com
pany presented a new view of the sit
uation during the discussion, assum-
ing that the city has the best of the
litigation with the old company. He
suggests that the TWO companies be
offered exactly the same franchise,
containing a maximum rate clause, q
union labor provision, and the lmita-
tion of the working hours. Such a
franchise. he declares, the Central
company will, and in fact the Ordi
nance now under consideration does
not contain such provisions. In addi-
ton to this the new company proposes
the adoption of an ordinance provid-
ing for automatic exchange service
and containing a clause binding the
company to pay a franchise tax when
such a tax is imposed generally on
telephone companies in the city.
Mr. Burns declares that this is the
situation which he and the Union
Electric Telephone company officers
desire to see brought about, if it can
be in the near future, or if the new
company can stay in the field until
such a time rs it develops.
Wanted Ii General.
Alderman Tuckis wanted a clause
providing a per cent franchise ta>
after the ordinance had been in effec'
three years, inserted but after some
discussion Alderman Ostrom's motor
that the tax be contingent on a like
tax being imposed on other telephone
companies. carried.
Alderman Ostrom first made his mo
ton that the tax should be contingen
On a like franchise tax on all othe'
corporations using the streets of The
city. This seemed too broad in view
of the willingness of the company t.
accept a provision covering a tax Of
telephone companies, and so il wa
amended by the alderman before be
ing put to vote. 1t carried : to D.
Talk About Filters.
The communication to Mayo
Schaffer from the Pittsburg Filte
Manufacturing company, which wa
read by the mayor at the last meeting
was up for consideration the carl