Fifteen Years, Rate Caps and a Free Phone: Newport Bargains With the Telephone Company

The regular meeting of the city council was held Tuesday evening in the council rooms. Mayor Appel being out of town, Councilman Caldwell acted as president pro tempore. Councilmen Bennett, Hynes and Stadelman were present.

The minutes of the last regular meeting were read and approved.

The council ordered Dr. Phillips, city health officer, to make an examination and inspection of the chemical samples of milk from each dairy. Councilmen Hynes and Stadelman were appointed a committee to confer with Dr. Phillips in regard to the matter.

The telephone and telegraph franchise came up on its third and final reading and was passed section by section, with several amendments. The franchise was granted for a term of fifteen years, instead of thirty-five as in the original petition.

The city is to be provided, according to the terms of the ordinance, with one free phone, and the city reserves the right to space for two wires on the cross-arm of each and every pole erected.

The rates for telephone service shall not exceed $1.50 for a two-party line; $2.25 for a single line, and $1.00 for more than a two-party line, and the number of subscribers on each line shall not at any time exceed five.

One of the conditions of the granting of the franchise is that it shall not be sold or transferred by the grantee prior to the actual completion and operation of same.

According to Section 13 the grantee must commence construction of the system within sixty days from the acceptance of the ordinance, and shall have the system in actual operation within one year from the passage of the ordinance.

Each of the thirteen sections of the franchise having been read and passed, the ordinance was adopted as a whole, to take effect and be in force upon and after publication.

The matter of fixing up the council hall was next considered by the city fathers, and President Caldwell appointed Councilmen Stadelman, Bennett and Hynes a committee to attend to the painting, papering, etc., of the hall.

The following bills and demands were presented and allowed: Ping Bros., lumber, $2.85; Northern Electric Co., lights, $77.50; Newport Miner, printing, $3.00; Rogers & Talmadge, rent, $10.00; Newport Water Co., water, $24.00; Reid Hardware Co., hardware for city hall, $17.25; R. H. Wren, labor on city hall, $44.30.

Several other minor matters received the attention of the council, after which the meeting adjourned.