South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-03-04
POSTAL MAGNATE
ASKS SOLONS FOR
SPECIAL RELIEF
Wants to Escape Ordinance Re-
curing Underground Wiring
in Downtown District, But
Protest is Tabled.

AS a committee in the hole" fol-
lowing an adjourned session of the
council to transact the business left
over from the Washington memorial
meeting of Feb. %, South Bends
solons were entertained for a consid-
cradle time Tuesday night by repre-
sentauves of the Indiana & Michigan
Electric and Postal Telegraph COM
panies, the former in a spirit of pro-
test against an appraiSement of its
property looking TO a reduction of
service rates, and the latter to OBJ
ject to having to put its wires under
ground as required by the city ordin-
ances.
A resolution introduced in the
council directing the mayor and city
attorney to complain TO the state pub
lie service commission in an effort
to secure for the city an exchange Of
service between the Home and Cen
trail Union Telephone companies, was
also reserved for the committees con-
sideration. Mayor Keller dropped in
also 10 listen TO the debates bat the
press representatives, informants of
the people, were left outside, where
they might have eaves-droppeo and
listened, had they wished, but didn't.
The council session proper was no.
toriously tame.
Ordinance Passed.
The ordinance requiring flagmen az
the Carroll and st. Joseph ST. Grand
Trunk crossings; also the one APP
propriating S34S.10 to cover the eX-
pense of the Shively-Hone building
probe. which were before the COM
mittee two weeks ago, were passed.
The council also passed an ordinance
appropriating $739.55 from the gen
eral f. nd to the park fund TO enable
the park board to pay sewer assess
n.ents levied against park property.
A contract between the board of
safety TO purchase two sets of motor
present fire hose wagons, al $4,000
each. was also approved.
AT ordnance, however, appropriate
ing $1,255.80 to repay the county
treasurer for money paid the state
board of auditors for examining the
city books and accounts, went to the
committee in the hole" for a probe.
That is all there was to the session
that was open to the public. At the
meeting in the hole" a. i. Lafferty
of Detroit, superintendent of the Pos
tai Telegraph & Gable Co, addressed
the committee, explaining that the
city ordinance requiring underground
wiring was unnecessarily burdensome
to the company, and besides would
effect the efficiency of its service to
some extent if insisted upon. The in
sistance was recorded by voting to
table his remonstrance indefinitely.
Calvert Only a 'IiStener".
Charles B. Calvert, secretary and
treasurer of the Indiana q Michigan.
explained that he was present merely
as a listener. and the result what that
he heard the resolution before the
committee approved, and recommend
ed TO the council for passage next
week.
The resolution to require the tele-
phone companies to exchange service
through application to the utilities
commission, is also recommended for
passage next Monday.
The question of increase OF salaries
for the firemen came up before the
committee again and it was voted
that il should go over until the next
committee meeting.
It is understood that City Atty.
Seebert has had the electric company
and telephone resolutions under con-
sideration for several days, in an
ticipation of their passage, and it is
probable that complaint will go TO
the commission next week i'm
mediately after the council takes its
final action.