State ex rel. Minnesota Telephone Co. v. City of Brainerd
State ex rel. Minnesota Telephone Co. v. City of Brainerd
Opinion of the Court
This is a proceeding by mandamus to compel the city council of the city of Brainerd to approve certain plans adopted by relator for the establishment of a local telephone exchange within the city, and to designate the streets to be occupied by relator for that purpose. The city answered, denying the existence of any right or franchise in relator to establish the proposed exchange within the city, or to use therefor any of its public streets. The cause was submitted to the court below upon the pleadings and an agreed statement of the facts, which are not in dispute. Judgment was ordered and entered for respondent and relator appealed.
The facts are as follows: On October 1, 1906, the city council duly enacted an ordinance, designated in the record as Ordinance No. 208, in and by which there was granted to Horace F. Mann the franchise, right and privilege, subject to the conditions imposed, to construct and operate a telephone line within the city, and the right to occupy the streets of the city was granted for that purpose. Section 3 of the ordinance provided that in consideration of the privilege so granted, and before the exercise thereof, Mann should pay to the city the sum of $300; “provided that if [the grantee] shall run but a single line into said city, and make but a single connection therefrom, he shall not be compelled or called upon to pay said sum of $300, or any part thereof except $25, until he shall desire to establish and maintain additional telephones,” when, as a condition to his right to do so, the balance of the payment, or $275 should be made. Section 2 provided that the construction, maintenance and operation of the telephone exchange, and all matters incident thereto, so far as related to the occupancy and use of the streets, should be under the
Section 6 required of Mann a written acceptance of the ordinance, the same to be filed with the city clerk within ten days after the first publication thereof. The ordinance was so published on October 6, 1906, and within 10 days thereafter Mann filed a proper acceptance, and paid to the city the sum of $25, as required by section 3, thus indicating an intention on his part to construct a single line into the city. Thereafter in June, 1907, Mann constructed a telephone line extending from Midland, in the county of Crow Wing, to the city of Brainerd, connecting the same at the city limits with a line owned and operated by another telephone company, namely, the Northwestern Co., which was then operating a telephone exchange in said city. At the point stated the wire of the Mann line was strung upon poles of the Northwestern Co. within the city, and later joined to the wires of that company, thus connecting and ending with its exchange. Subsequently Mann constructed other lines up to the city limits, which were connected in the same manner with the line and exchange of the Northwestern Co. No use of the streets for the Mann line was demanded or exercised under the franchise, nor was the city or any of its officers consulted in reference to the connection with the Northwestern line. That connection was made and the poles of that company used under a contract between Mann or relator and that company. That contract transferred and granted the Northwestern Co. the control and operation of the Mann line and also fixed and defined the tolls and charges to be made for the use of the same. It also provided for an apportionment of such tolls between the parties to the agreement and the Northwestern Co. reserved the
The only question involved is whether a telephone line was constructed under the Mann grant within the time prescribed by the ■ordinance or at all. On the facts stated it seems clear that the question must be answered in the negative. The grant to Mann provided for the construction of a single line into the city within one year from the date of the acceptance thereof. The line so provided for was to be constructed under the supervision and direction of the city ■engineer, and control of the operation thereof, including fixing -mg-dmum tolls to be charged for services rendered, was reserved to the city council. An independent telephone was in the contemplation
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE ex rel. MINNESOTA TELEPHONE COMPANY v. CITY OF BRAINERD and Others
- Status
- Published