Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1911-04-05

uUI NC atulSS. H.i#a 1n0 ClCy COUNCIL
of the city Of Willmar shall have no
right or authority to call or order
special election of the electors Of
the said city for the purpose of |
submitting the question of the ap- |
prevail or rejection of this ordinance
as hereinafter provided. until the
said Arthur c: Bowe. his successors
and assigns, shall first have depos-
tied with the City Treasurer bond
in the sum of $4,000 90 which shall
have been approved by the City
Council. to indemnify said city for
costs of election and as a deposit of
his or their good faith and honest
intentions as to the purposes herein
set forth, which bond shall be can
celled and terminated upon the
actual commencement of service
and operation of said telephone
system by said Arthur c. Bowe,
his successors and assigns. And
tit was our intention to introduce
the above as an amendment to pro-
tect the city in the manner which
it will itself explain, and which
under no circumstances can be con-
strued to be unreasonable or ,un-
fair. and which should be acceptable
to any business man who was at
tempting to secure anything from
the public.
We do not think that this needs
anv further explanation, as every
man in business will understand
that it is purely a business form
ality. In the ordinance adopted,
section 8 provides that the maxi
mum rates to be charged for tele-
phone services shall not exceed the
sum of $24.00 per year for business
telephones or the sum of $1,000 per
year for residence telephones. Does
this provision define what services
the patrons shall have? Is there
anything to prevent this schedule
to apply to party lines only or does
it say that patrons shall be entitled
to private line at this rate? This
is question that needs no discus
sion. 1t is open to every patron to
judge the matter for himself. If
we wish party lines. we may have
them. but private lines are not re-
quired or specified in said ordin-
ance.
Again there has been considerable
talk in opposition to the present
exchange. and their manner and
treatment of country lines. Is there
anything said in the ordinance
which was adopted, which will cover
this question, and is it not proper
since our attention has been so
often called to this phase of the
telephone business. that some pro-
vision should have been Incorporate
ed which would have made connect
ions with the incoming farmers
lines and the city exchange some
what practical?
Now, MIR. Editor, we have asked
you to publish these very debatable
questions on which we as members
of the city council take exception
with the ordinance as adopted, and
if we were permitted further time
to make more elaborate commune
cation to you, we would very gladly
go into the details as to why we
think that the city should be pro-
tected in all matters that we have
mentioned above.
We do not think that it is within
our province as aldermen to
dictate to the public of this city
whether or not thew shall have a
new telephone system, but we do
feel that it is our duty to look far
enough into the public affairs which
come to us in our official capacity,
to be able to say to our people that
we submit to you an ordinance
which we think is fair and which
in it's provisions protects the city
in the future as we'll as in the
present, and in publishing this we
of course offer it as short ex-
PLANTATION of why we, as aldermen,
in the city of Willmar. did not favor
the ordinance as adopted, and in
order that the public might UNDER
stand that we are not opposing a
new system but that our vote was
merely a declaration that the ordin-
ance as adopted was not good and
safe. but on the other hand. we are
also very free to state. that any or
dinance which will have incorporat-
ed in it the desirable features which
will protect the city in the matter
of common interest, we certainly
will at all times favor, and in this
connection we frankly admit, that
this explanation is brought about
because we have been accused of
being Indifferent, to say the least,
in the matter of this new telephone
system, but we will ask any BUSH
ness man of this city who has an
interest Of the city at heart, if it
is not advisable for the city to pro-
tect itself in the manner that we
have tried to outline in very brief
Wav above. ='-..-