Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1919-09-05
PHONES TO GO BACK
TO PRE-WAR RATES
City Council Refuses To Permit
Company To Continue In
creased Charges

lily SOuAlCu NCIuOCS 40 CIAAAS
Company To Continue In
creased Charges
An interesting meeting OF the City
Council of Richmond was held last
night with Mayor Evans in the chair
and all councilmen present except Mr..
Powell. The city hall was crowded
with representative citizens, including
Rev. Homer w. Carpenter, who upon
the request of the Mayor, asked Gods
blessings upon their deliberations.
The Mayor announced to the Coun-
Gil that four sealed bids for installing
the sewerage system in Richmond had
been received from out of town con-
Germs and turned them over to Clerk
Blanton, to be opened and read before
the council. The contesting bidders
were: w. l. Coal, Montgomery Ala;
John B. McLaine & Co., Cincinnati;
Geo. F. Eddy Co., and R. B. Tyler &
Co., both of Louisville. As Clerk
Blanton proceeded to give out the
itemized estimates, Engineer Gre
celius took down the figures and re-
tired to the inner room to tabulate
them and report back to the council
the lowest bid. Representatives from
the different concerns bidding were
present and awaited anxiously the an
nouncement Of the successful bidder.
Councilman O'Neil took up the mat
ter of the telephone company that re-
/ quested the Council to allow it to
continue the present war rate fixed by
the government, which would expire
December 1st of the present year.
Mr.. ONeil had been in communication
with eight other towns the size of
Richmond, who have about the same
number of subscribers as the tele-
phone company in this city, and ac-
cording to the information received,
six out of eight of these towns have
4 lower rates than the present rate
charged by the Cumberland Telephone
& Telegraph Co., and are giving the
people the central energy system,
to give which this company claims
would be forced to increase rates
again.
Hon. w. B. Smith volunteered to
the citizens of Richmond, and spoke
in strong opposition to the proposed
raise, citing the council that the
taxpayers are heavily burdened
with taxes as it is and he did not feel
like increasing their living expenses
at this time when everything was
"sky high. He besought the Coun'
Gil to stand by it's citizens and pro-
tect them from increase of rates
which would mean an additional cost
of $1,000 annually.
The Telephone Company was repre-
sented by Mr.. Webb, a member OF tht
company, and Attorney A. R. Burnan
and J. S. Greenleaf, who stated thu
actual facts of the increased cost o.
!. operating the company here, and fel
that they should be allowed an IN
crease in order to offset the. ad
ditional costs of operation.
: City Attorney, Joe P. Chenault, ad
dressed the Council upon the question
of increased rates, and pointed ou
4 the fact that while the company nigh
be unable to make quite as much whel
!, the rates were reverted back to tn
pre-war prices, he could see no reasol
why the Cumberland Telephone
Telegraph Company could not bea
this burden just as well as the people
J J After these heated debates, Mayo
!, Evans asked the Council if they wer
) ready for the question, and immediate
: ly Councilman O'Neil made the motio
| that the proposed increase OF rate
: be defeated, and was seconded D.
Councilman Golden. The vote wa
: taken and only Councilman Tera
voted in favor of inceased rate.
Councilman Terrill, who had bee
appointed at the previous meeting =
3 investigate the coal situation Tor Tn
E establishment of municipal coal var
in Richmond, stated that he had bee
in communication with several Goa
companies, and while he found tina
coal could be bought for about nal
!. what the coal dealers in Richmond
,, were charging, it was impossible U
get any large amount from any o
. the companies, as it seemed from thei
t communications that the companle
/ were having hard time getting Tn
coal mined. The question rested Wit
the council.
Engineer Crecelius, having figure
! out the bids submitted, read them 7
e tho co,,pc;I as follows: w. |. Goa