Show MUNICIPAL at a meeting ot of the board ot of gov erners enors of the commercial commer C lat club held last friday evening a resolution was passed askin asking 9 the maior and city council to call a mass nie meeting eting tor for the purpose of discussing the matter ot or installing a municipal telephone the resolution will doubtless be considered at the next meeting ot of the city council one week hence As to the matter ot or raising the necessary funds with which to install the system attorneys are divided in their offhand opinion law prescribes however that cities can bond only tor for wat croo er works electric light and sewer section 4 of article 14 ot of tile the state constitution ution makes it permissible tor for cities to bond to the amount ot of 4 1 per cent ot of the assessed valuation tor for general purposes and an all additional 4 per cent tor for water works electric light and sewer strictly within the letter of the law a city could neither bond nor borrow for tel telephone ephom but there seems to be always an all exception to the rule when hen the state constitution was passed and utah became a state brigham ha city had already installed her water works system the only city in the state at that time N which owned and controlled its own water works lion hen J D peters was a member ot of the constitutional convention aud ani when the matter of the taxing powers ot of cities came up tip for discussion it was proposed to limit the bonding power to 4 per cent for all purposes had that action been ratified by the convention brigham city would practically have been stopped in her work of making public improvements tor for the bonded indebtedness at that time had about reached its limit from the proceedings of the constitutional convention we find that mr peters was very active in the consideration of article 14 and is credited with urging the additional dit ional 4 per cent water light fight and sewer when the same was vas owned and controlled by the municipality in talking the matter over with mr peters he stated that a at that time the telephone was a new thing thine and was never given any consideration in connection with municipal ownership while waterworks water wilter works sewers and electric lights were recognized as public necessities essi essit ties les and had been installed in fit various communities in the territory but the spirit of article 14 was and is to provide tor for municipal ownership of anything found to be beneficial to the community and within its power to operate and because sonne some other things were not named specifically does not imply that the framers or of the constitution were opposed to them being engaged in by coin communities mu gitles dut cut be that as it may when the law was framed brigham city already had installed its water works system as stated and the bond was issued under the 4 per p e r cent privilege 0 of the general fund and ever since then the water works account has been considered in with the general fund of the city that then opens the way for using the other privileges the assessed valuation ot of brigham city at the last wis was 1019 th the e tot total a I 1 b bonded on d C d indebtedness of the city at the present Is while under the law ian it can be increased to or more than at present under the additional dit ional privilege 40 Is available ble for the three bree t inn poses aforementioned only of 0 which has been used which represents the electric light fight bonds the water works it must be remembered lie aie cl classed a s s e d a as s general and have so teen keen considered 0 r s i d ere d from the beginning there is then which might apply on the last water wolds bond issue of ale making it necessary to fo draw from the general fund to cover the balance only ot of the 60 which the bonding privilege for or general r a I 1 purpose e 8 meiks ma c lt it to ia raise ise of 1 the he balance has s been taken up in ili a bond issaa saus and there vi ai remains the balance of for which the city can bond for general purposes and under that provi provision bion the money could be used for the installation of a telephone system should the municipality so decide the privilege of borrowing giving the investment as a security can be done according to the opinion of some attorneys the amount to be not in excess of the t total otal revenues of the city annually paragraph 5 section 23 22 revised ordinances brigham cita provides that a tax levy net to exceed ten mills on the dollar to construct and maintain gas works electric light works telephone lines street railways or bath houses can be made so that by exercising that it ilehr Z lit over te ten a thousand dollars annually annu alf 1 1 could be raised for a year or two to assist in defraying the alie expense of installing a telephone system granting Cr that the entire expense would have to be met by direct taxation it would only mean a little extra tax tor for two or possibly three years and the system would be paid tor for and would be returning a profit to the community which could be divided with the taxpayers in the shape of a reduction of the general tax these legal phases of the question could easily be determined by an attorney or a committee appointed for that purpose figures and deductions given above are the result or of a hurried consideration of statutes and the financial condition of the city and from interviews with attorneys and mr peters the committee would have to make an exha exhaustive estive study of the matter in order to lo be sure of the facts before taking any steps the mass meeting ought to throw continued on page four THE MUNICIPAL TELEPHONE frob riis page a great deal of 0 light ou on the subject for there loth sides can call be presented and a comparison made which will be either favo favorable orabe rabe or unfavorable ta to ilig ahe proposition citizens can do ao no better than give this matter careful study in order that they might act intelligently when the time comes |