Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 February 1914 — TELEPHONE COMPANY ASKS RATE INCREASE [ARTICLE]

TELEPHONE COMPANY ASKS RATE INCREASE

Jasper County Co. Applies to Public Service Commission—Hearing In Rensselaer February 37.

The Jasper County'Telephone Co. has made application to the Public Service Commission of Indiana for the right to raise rate 3 to subscribers and the commission has begun sendng out notices to the subscribers effected that there will be a bearing of the petition at the court house in Rensselaer on Friday, February 27th, beginning at 10 o’clock a. m. This step has been anticipated fdr some time and it is quite probable that the commission based upon the showing which the telephone company will be prepared to make will secure the increase unless there is some organization among the subscriber® to present their side,of the question in a fair light. The Republican hopes that the commission conducts a hearing that is in every respect fair to both sides of this controversy. Thi ß fairness should extend to every subscriber and it is out belief now, as it was four years ago, that $1 a month for residence telephone i® enough, and that for that amount a good quality of service should be returned. On the other hand, it is not reasonable to ask $2.50 a month for business telephones, based upon good service, ljut this is the amount that i® being paid by all business houses in which the automatic telephones have been installed. In hope of getting better service many subscribers submitted to the increase of rates notwithstanding the fact that the franchise under which the company was then acting did not. authorize the higher rate charged.

service which was held out as a prospect of this higher rate has not developed to a very marked degree of excellency, while those who permitted the installation of the automaitc phones have gone ahead paying $8 per year more on each telephone. The Republican contends that the service is abominable and we say this in perfect charity. We have considered the perplexities of the company in the employment of help, etc., but since the agitation four years ago there has been no improvement, if indeed, the service ha® been as good as it was before that time. Your business and ours requires that we make good in Order to justify the patronage of the public. We could not increase our rates if we did not first supply a service that justified the increase. The telephone company has not, improved the service in any way and the increased rate will not be justified for the service now returned, If indeed, it would be necessary and fair for adequate service The Republican knows that the telephone company will base its demand for a higher rate on a claim of investment that is far in excess of the present value of the plant If the company make® a pledge for Improved service and new equipment it will ask tliat the rates be based upon the claimed investment up to this time and the cost of the new installation. At a rough guess, we will say, that subscribers to the Ja»per County Telephone Co.’s service will be asked to pay interest on an investment of $75,000, when the stockholders of the company will tell yqu that the equipment at this time is nothing but junk. It is estimated that $20,000 to $30,000 would install a brand new system, modern in every respect, with new switch board, cabled line®, automatic phones and all. It will be an outrage if the Public Service Commission requires the subscribers of the Ideal company to guarantee the stockholders of the company an interest on the plant that has deteriorated Into junk. But this is ju>t what will happen unless the telephone subscribers get together and seelct some person to appear before the commission on the date set and present the case to them fairly from the public's standpoint. Here is the proposition in a nutshell :

The present plant of the Jasper County Telephone Co. is out of date and inadequate to supply the service which the public has a right to expeet. It represent ß an Investment of $50,000. —-X-,.;. —— The installation of a new plant, adequate for all -purposes, would cost 125,000 or $30,000. This may be too high. • The Jasper County Telephone Co. will ask that the Public Service Commission authorise a rate to subscribers that will guarantee Interest and depreciation on a plant valued at $75,000 0r.580,000, and thu 8 compel all who need or desire tele-

phones to make good to the telephone company the loss that has been sustained by depreciation or past mismanagement. It will cost about 10 or 15 cents from each telephone subscriber to an attorney to present the ca®e to the commission on Feb. 27th. It will cost each telephone subscriber $6 a year on each telephone he rents if some effort is not made to have this case fairly presented. Let’s get busy without delay and prevent this hold-up.