The Oskaloosa herald., 1914-12-24
"MOYIES' And Lights
Two Much Mooted Questions Settled
BY City Council.

OskalOosa city councilmen cele-
Ibrated the last regular meeting OF
the year 1914 at the city hall Mon
day evening BY drawing their pay
! for twenty,seYen council sessions
and three board of health meetings,
sum total of $4,000 for those who
had no absences. .COuncilmen are
much like human beings around
about Christmas time, they like a
little extra money for spending pur-
poses. u.
Movie managers were at the SEES
sion in force Monday evening to pro.
test against the collection of license
fees charged by city ordinance. The
show men are in arrears. They
asked for reduction in the license
some time back. The license re.
quired by ordinance is 800. pay
able quarterly in advance. No other
town or city in Iowa makes such
charge and many places ask no IL
cense. In addition il is said that
the opera house has been paying no
license whatever, getting by on pa
per, as it were. The theatre oper-
ators stated they had no objection
to paying fifty dollars per year, but
with the new war tax of fifty plunks
and the city license one hundred,
they couldn't swim. They wanted
the privilege of paying another $25,
added to like amount paid earlier
in the season and obtain authorlza-
ton from the mayor to operate up
to April l., 1915. The council want.
ed the boys to pay up what was due
on the old basis and every one
start new again under a new ordin,
ance, but this, the picture men OBJ
jected to- .,,,s ...
I, w. l. Neagle' was fortified with
facts and figures showing how 9TH
er towns stood and several OF tae
councilmen asked questions or took
sides. They claimed they could not
settle the way the film peipie de.
sire, as 1t would be illegal. After
much debate, pro and con, Wells
moved that new ordinance be
drafted making the license $500
per annum, somewhere near what
other towns were charging. AL.
though no record is made of the
transaction the mayor was told to
go ahead and settle book accounts
on the basis of the shownien's pleas.
ure and the new deal win start
April /, 1916. f... ..a.4ls- 2r
Manager A. H. r. Jackson, of the
Traction & Light company, came be-
fore the city, council asking that
some action be taken toward settle.
ment for the current used in the
of the new white way,
the matter being continued from the
first regular session of the month.
The resolution offered at the meet
ing of December Z was for five dol
lars per post each month, or at the
rate of $4,000 per year. '.. 80
So Mr.. Brewer objected to this and
opposed action. He had obtained
rates for electrolier service in a
Of towns of the state and of.
fered these In. support of his contei+
ton that 0skaloosa should obtain
the service at $48.00, the Mason City
rate. Discussion ensued. MIR. Jack.
son, James A. Dewitt, H. II. Sheriff
and members Of the council talking.
In Mason City and Oska-
loosa were shown to be dissimilar.
Mason City uses a cheap, but more
effective fuel than that in use In the
local plant, etc.
Williams moved that the city
clerk and the mayor enter into con-
tract for the city upon the basis of
$4,000 per post per year for a term
Of two years. In seconding tie mo-
ton Mr.. eLafoliette, Of the First
ward, stated that the light was one
Of the best things the city of Oska-
loosa had ever obtained; as an adj
vertisement 1t was worth all it cost.
that the people wanted the light,
were satisfied with it; that he saw
no taxpayers before the council pro.
testing against it, but on the contra
ry business men were saying go
ahead" In addition 1t had been I'M
dersl God by himself and by other
Of the council when the
new service was ordered by the
council that the rate per post was to
be $4,000 and the people went ahead
with that understanding.
Mr.. Williams defended his position
In a similar talk and the question
was put to vote, the record of which
shows Messrs. Williamsl Lafollette,
Roberts and Wells voting for 1t and
Brewer MendenHall and Penders
against 1t. And the motion was de
clared carried.
c. Winter desires to sell the city
some garbage cans. A special COM
mitted RobertY Lafollette and
Wells was appointed to look into the
cans and determine If the city need
ed the same.
New lights, on order of the coun-
ell, are to be placed at the intersec-
lion of Eleventh avenue and F st.
Eleventh avenue and Seventh st.
X avenue and Third st.
Sixth avenue and Sixth St.
Numerous other detail matters
we're taken UP in turn, including the
semi.monthly claims list and some
tax matters, ETC., etc., and adjourn.
ment was brought about at 10:36