The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1919-05-08
COUNTY
ATTORNEY
Asks Phone Protection
For County Patrons.

You were kind enough to publish
my article on roads few weeks ago,
so | am again taking advantage Of
your generosity and asking you to
publish the following.
The City Council of Lancaster has
ordered the sale Of telephone fran
chise fixing the rates in the city of
Lancaster at $2.75 for business
phones and S1.65 for residence
phones and making no provision for
the protection of the patrons who live
outside the city limits. As County
Attorney Of Garrard County and
citizen OF Lancaster, appeared be-
fore the Council and stated that the
interest of the County people was not
being protected and directed their
attention to the fact that if the fran
chise as passed by them was permit
ed to stand, that the county people
would be at the mercy of the tele-
phone company and that the company
could make any charge they pleased
for the county phones, and the county
patrons would have no protection in
the matter Of rates or otherwise. The
reason that l appealed to the City
Council was because there was no
way in which the Fiscal Court Of Gar
rard County could safeguard the in
terest Of the people in this matter,
except in connection with the City
Council. The law gives to the City
tn, right to sell franchise that will
protect the interest Of the County
people as well as the City people. and
l think that franchise could be
drawn along this line that would be
rcod in law and IN justice. Judge
Forest Stapp and myself invited the
| Council to meet with the Fiscal Court
and erdeavor to formulate some plan
that would protect both the City and
County, but the Mayor announced
that ne was against any delay in the
matter and our invitation was not ac-
cepted by the Council. Necessarily
| thS COMPANY tHS
City should serve the County, and
certainly we do not want one COM
pany for the town and another for
tht County. If the City sells fran
chise and leaves out the County peo-
pie, then no company in the world
would buy a franchise from the Fis-
cal Court, and the County people
would be left at the mercy of the pur-
chaser of the city franchise, and that
purchaser could charge any amount
per month for the service and the
people would have no remedy. ex-
ctpt to do without phone. 1t has
been suggested that the Fiscal Court
might order the telephone company
to remove its poles and lines from
the County's rignt-of-way in case of
any raise in Tie County phones but
in these days who want; to do without
a telephone when he has the money
to pay for it, an | wha. relief would
that give to the mar with no phone.
ADD then if the Court did so order,
the Company could force the County
to sell a franchise by bringing SUIT
and the icu.t would have to fix rea-
sonable rates. and SO now at this
time when The former City anu Cour-
ty Administrator have left the tele-
phone situation in q shape where the
peoples reo:es 'nt.;tiyes are in tie
saddle, and where It would be SO easy
for the County and City to join to-
gcther and have final and just set
Element of the telephone question it
does seem to me that the City rep
resentatives ought not to sell this
franchise until it protects the inter-
est of both County and City.
The franchise as it now stands fails
to provide where the purchasers shall
locate their poles, and as see it, the
company would have the right under
this franchise to Place poles on the
public square, after the former city
administration had had them remov-
ed.
l am in favor Of granting a fran
chise that will protect the people
fixing the rates at say $500 per
month for business phones and $3.50
for residence phones, both in the
city and county. The only argument
against this plan would be that the
Bastin Telephone Company might re-
fuse to bid on this kind of fran
chisc for the County, then in that
event the only thing left to do is to
let the company continue as 1t now
runs or if it wants to move, let il
move. and in my opinion before it
had moved very far the subscribers
would have a company organized
that they would be sure Of keeping.
write this article that the people
in the County who are interested
may know what is being done and
VINO Is doing it. Mr.. ]. b. Conn
voted against the franchise and