The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1911-12-08
Christmas Shopping in Marietta Helps Everybody See!

delays incident to the negotiations
above referred to.
The board Of lights and water
works has signed contracts necessary
for the erection Of the municipality
owned electric light plant for which
the bonds we're voted in August J
B. McCrary G. Company have been
contracted with as engineers to con-
struct the system for the city. The
board of lights and water works will
buy and pay for all material them
selves, and J. B. McCrary & Co., in
addition to engineering, will construct
and supervise the erection of the pole
line.
One of the most difficult obstacles
for the city to overcome in erecting
an electric light plant was that the
public square and streets in the cen
ter of town already have so many
poles and wires on them that it
seemed practically impossible for the
city to find room to place it's own
poles and wires. This difficulty has
UCCA ONCICOlICB uOWCbCls i nC DOclI u vi
lights and water works have signed
an interchangeable contract with the
Southern Bell Telephone company to
use the poles of the telephone COM
pany wherever they are so located as
to suit the purposes of the city. The
engineers have figured that at least
230 Bell Telephone poles can be used,
chiefly in the heart of town.
The board of lights and water works
think there are several advantages in
having made this contract with the
Bell Telephone company. AS stated
above, it overcomes the difficulty, and
really danger, of having SO many poles
and wires in the center of town. In
addition to this, the appearance of the
city would be badly injured by hav-
ing three or more lines of poles and
wires on all the streets
Strange to say, the city of Marietta
has allowed different companies to
use their streets for poles and wires
without paying anything for the priv
ilege until when the city wanted to
erect her own pole line, it was found
impossible to do so anywhere near the
center of town without great incon-
venience and danger.
Another advantage in using the Bell
Telephone company's poles is that it
will expedite the work of installing
the system. The board of lights and
water works, and the engineers think
that they can have the system in
stalled complete and ready to turn
the lights on by February the list,
unless the weather should be so ex-
tremely bad that it would delay the
work of construction.
The contract between the board of
lights and water works and the tele-
phone company is interchangeable.
7 hat is, the city will use the Bell Tel
ephone poles wherever it is. possible to
use them, and pay an annual rental
for each pole used, according to ser
vice. On the other hand, the Bell
Telephone company, will in future use
the poles the city may erect on streets
where they have no poles, or where
they may wish to dismantle their
lines, and pay the city the same rates
for the use of these poles according
to service that the city is to pay the
telephone company. Under this mu-
tual contract it is the belief of the
board of water and lights that in a
fnXV of bA IL
he so arranged that there will be only
one pole line on any street in the
city. This will make it much safer,
and also add much to the beauty of
the city. The contract made with the
Bell Telephone company for the use
of their poles is to extend for three
years from December LIST, either side
reserving the right to cancel the con
tract at the end of three years by Civ
ing six months notice in writing. The
telephone company was willing to
make a longer term contract but the
hoard of lights and water works felt
that the three-year contract would be
long enough to show whether the plan
would work out as they believe it
will, and at the end of that time a new
contract can be made if thought best.
As majority of the present board
will have retired from office at that
time, it was also their wish not to
make a contract that would in any
way bind their successors beyond this
length of time