The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1909-10-07

ing, between COUullJee Ol OupSINiS-
ors and representatives of the Mu-
Juaf Telephone Company, was contin'
ued until this morning the prospects
were most favorable to an under
standing whereby the company VIII
provide accommodations in its con-
duits for the City police and fire
alarm system wires and the City will
exempt the company from payment
of inspection fees on openings OF
streets.
There were lengthy talks on either
side, neither admitting the claims of
the other, until, waving claims, the
Iadvisability of compromise seemed to
become the general understanding
and the only reason for continuing
| the meeting until today was that
some had not had any opportunity TO
| say all that they felt called upon
utter.
Mayor Fern opened the meeting
| declaring its purpose as that of dis
cussion Of the proposition of salts
factory arrangement between the
! Telephone Company and the City in
re the disposition of City police and
fire wires now on the poles of the
Telephone Company also in re pro,
posed ordinance as affecting any
agreement to be made between the
municipality and the company.
Among those present were: Mayor
Fern, Attorney Abe Lewis for the
| Telephone Company, Treasurer G. r.
Carter of the Telephone Company,
Manager }. A. Balch of the Wireless
end of the MutuaTs business, A. n
Campbell, City and County Attorney
]. ". Cathcart, First Deputy City At
torney Milverton, Supervisors Kane,
Quinn and Aylett, John Waterhouse
and members of the press.
City Deputy Attorney Milverton,
called on by the Mayor, reviewed his
opinion, published yesterday, render
ed to the Supervisors last night and
bearing on the subject under discus
/ sion. He said the telephone company
had made no provision for the accom-
mediation of City wires until the
written proposal by which they were
willing to give the City wires space
in the conduits at 10 cents per duct
| foot, also asking that the company
be exempted from inspection and fees
Tor inspection Oh openings of streets.
1t was up to the committee now 10
consider whether the City was to pay
Tor space in the conduits, or hold,
which it might, that the space Should
be given without charge; or whether
space should lie rented from the COM
pany by the City, or reserved under
an understanding of certain remun-
GRAFTON.
! Treasurer Carter, of the Telephone
Co., drew attention to the fact that
the City had for many years suffered
from a bad telephone system. Bust
ness men thought the control of a
new system should be kept locally,
and proceeded to buy out outside in
terests; for time there we're two
rival companies and confusion and
a Telephone war was threatened. A
large price, therefore, was paid to
buy out the wireless and automatic.
Now. he said, a contract was not
valid without a consideration, and
the old agreement whereby the Ter
ritory was allowed to put it's wires
on the poles of the telephone COM
Dany was in the nature of a conces-
sion and, by rights, the government
should pay for the transfer of its
wires, whereas the City and County
wanted TO charge the telephone com
pany fifty cents inspection fee when
ever a phone was to be changed.
However, instead of sticking on tech
nical rights, the telephone directors
were willing to meet the public half
way. The City, he said, will save
several thousand dollars by accepting
the company's proposal, since it will
be cheaper to transfer municipal
wires during the construction of the
Telephone system than for the City
later to do its own work. In return
for this accommodation 1t was not
much to ask exemption from inspec,
ton fees. OF course the City wanted
to be sure that the streets would be
put back in as good condition as
found before digging up The com
,pany expected to preserve the good
condition of streets as far as its op.
Ierations would be concerned.
The telephone proposition contem'
plates in event of extension of the
system, 10 give the City the benefit
of such extension, the City simply
paying for the cost of the ducts in
which its wires are carried, not pay
ing for the digging of trenches.
This proposition, said Carter, was
a better offer than the tIlepohne
company would ever think of making
10 a business institution. Incident
ANY he did not believe the City had
a right to charge any more than the
IacJual Gust Vi InspeGJIun, ana a rate
OF ntty Genus inspection per pole. 1ul
example, wouId amounU to more LnaI
the cost of such inspection.
MilVerton, in re the old agreement
referred to by Carter, said that the
superintendent of Public Works had
NEGLECTED to make any arrangement
for the transfer of 10000 feet OF
wire. Also there would be no saving
tn the NitV nv tha TaIaDhonz Nor,