Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 December 1909 — ABOUT THE TELEPHONE FRANCHISE [ARTICLE]

ABOUT THE TELEPHONE FRANCHISE

Owners ot the Republican Have $5,000 Stock In the Old Company, Hence Its Hysteria.

The Republican is rending its linen in a hysterical effort to prevent the granting of a franchise by tbe city to the Home Telephone Co., and the fact that two of the principal owners of that sheet are also the owners of $5,000 stock in the old telephone company, shows that there may be “method in its madness.”

When the old company wanted to boost the rates about 50 per cent last winter, regardless of the number of phones in the city, the Republican was very quiescent until public clamor had become so great against the measure that it had to say something opposing the scheme —after it had been killed and burled by The Democrat.

Now, just a few words concerning the proposed telephone franchise which is causing the editors of the syndicate organ to perform all sorts of amusing contortions: The Home Telephone Co., through its duly elected officers, asked a few weeks ago for a franchhise to operate a telephone exchange in Rensselaer, and the prayer of the petition was granted and the city attorney directed to prepare the necessary ordinance. There was no secret about the matter at all and no attempt made to rush the franchise through without letting the public know anything about it, as was done by the old company.

The ordinance was prepared and presented to the council by the city attorney. It provided for a full metallic system, which is an improvement over the present system. The officers of the company investigated the merits qf the metallic system and reached the conclusion that the company could make no reasonable objections to this requirement, and did not make any. When the council took up the franchise, however, it changed this provision and made it read "common battery” or central energy system, and declined to listen to the protests of the representatives of the company that it only require the metallic system. The common battery system costs from one-third to one-half more to Install than the magneto system, which we now have and which is also used in the metallic system—in the metallic system there are two wires leading to each phone instead of one as in the common return system of the old company—and the only advantage of the common battery system is that the subscriber does not have to turn the crank and ring “central,” the taking down of the receiver from the hook throwing the drop on the switchboard and a small electric light behind the "drop” is lighted, apprising the operator of your “call.” The system is easier put out of order than the magneto system, hence its greater expense to operate, as, for instance, a small twig lying on a wire will cause the “drop” to fall on the switchboard the same as though a receiver had been taken down, and after “central” calls “number” several times and gets no response, she concludes that there is something wrong with the line and pays no further attention to it until the trouble is rectified, consequently, when the subscriber really wants “central” and removes the receiver from the hook—where such a condition exists—he gets no response, and fumes and swears himself hoarse. Such a little thing as this would not affect the magneto system at all.

Therefore, in our opinion, a common battery system is too expensive to operate in a small and scattered city like ours. In a closely congested city, free from a forest of shade trees, it is all right. But the talking service is no better than with the magneto system, and is apt to be not as good. Last winter, when the old company was asking for a franchise to boost the rates to |1.50 and |2.50 per month, The Democrat opposed the granting of the same, because it did not think there was any necessity of putting in the common battery system and thereby making people pay 50 per cent more for their phones. It still thinks so, but the council says the Home company must put in the common battery system or none at all, and in order to be on the safe side the latter has asked that it may if found necessary, make the following rates: Up to 500 phones in the corporate

limits of Rensselaer, *I.OO and l *2.00 —the same as now; over 500 and up to 700, *1.25 and *2.25; over 700, *1.50 and *2.50. Now the old company wanted *1.50 and *2.50 without any regard to the number of phones it had in use, and it did not have then or now, nor never did have, 500 phones in the city of Rensselaer, and under the terms of the franchise of the Home company which comes up for final passage at the next meeting of the council, the latter can only charge *I.OO and *2.00 at most until it has more phones in operation in Rensselaer than the old company ever had, and the rates asked by the new company can never apply until Rensselaer grows at least onethird in population, so that 700 ’phone subscribers can be had within the corporate limits. The Home company has no choice in this matter of systems, but must put in the exepnsive and uncalled for common battery system or none at all, by the terms of this ordinance. It wants to furnish service as cheaply as it possibly can, but if it cannot furnish the common battery service for the present rates, after 500 phones are in use it asks as a matter of protection, that it may be permitted to make an increase of rates of 25 cents per month, per phone, up to 700. The Democrat probably uses a phone more than any ordinary business house, and it sees no necessity for requiring so expensive a system as the common battery system. The magneto system is plenty good enough for us, with a company that will keep its equipment up and try to give good “central” service. We can afford to ring "central” for less than *6 per year, which the old company proposed to fasten on us for doing away with the ringing proposition.

The public is only demanding a good magneto system service, and wants this service as cheaply as it can be had consistently. It does want cheaper toll rates to local points, and ought to have them. It is true that the old company has made a proposition to sell to the new company, and the latter may buy them out. The matter is being considered and something will be definitely decided upon in that respect very shortly. Should it do so the service will try to be bettered, the local toll rates reduced and an earnest effort be made to give the patrons the very best service pose> ble without increase of rates. The class of farmers behitad the Home company movement is a sufficient guarantee that the move is only for the purpose of bettering the service and keeping down the rates, and makes the charges of the Republican, two of whose owners are heavy stockholders in the old company, look awful silly.