Said Mayor is empowered to authorize the erection and maintenance of poles in the alleys of said District, and the stringing thereon of wires or conductors for telegraph purposes from alley poles or housetop fixtures in one square to alley poles or housetop fixtures in another square for the purpose of enabling house connections to be made, and to authorize the erection of poles and the stringing thereon of wires on and upon the streets and avenues of said District in the parts thereof in which there are no public alleys and in such places as the public interest do not require that the lines be placed underground, or in places where it shall be deemed by said Mayor impracticable to advantageously place or operate such lines underground. During the progress of the work provided for in § 34-1921.01 said Mayor is also empowered to issue temporary permits for the erection and maintenance of poles and overhead conductors in places where the lines are ultimately to be placed underground, where the work cannot be immediately done because of the greater urgency of work in other localities, or for other reasons satisfactory to said Mayor; but in issuing such temporary permits said Mayor shall bear in mind the purpose and policy of this subchapter, which is to cause to be removed from the streets and avenues within the said limits described in § 34-1921.01 all poles and wires attached thereto, except as hereinbefore provided, as expeditiously as may be without interfering with or impairing the efficiency of the telegraph service in said District and without denying to the public reasonable telegraph facilities.

(Mar. 3, 1905, 33 Stat. 985, ch. 1415, § 4.)

1981 Ed., § 43-1412.

1973 Ed., § 43-1412.

This section originated at a time when local government powers were delegated to a Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia (see Acts Relating to the Establishment of the District of Columbia and its Various Forms of Governmental Organization in Volume 1). Section 401 of Reorganization Plan No. 3 of 1967 (see Reorganization Plans in Volume 1) transferred all of the functions of the Board of Commissioners under this section to a single Commissioner. The District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act, 87 Stat. 818, § 711 ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.11), abolished the District of Columbia Council and the Office of Commissioner of the District of Columbia. These branches of government were replaced by the Council of the District of Columbia and the Office of Mayor of the District of Columbia, respectively. Accordingly, and also pursuant to § 714(a) of such Act ( D.C. Code, § 1-207.14(a)), appropriate changes in terminology were made in this section.