Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 130, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 December 1909 — WHAT IS UP IN LOCAL TELEPHONE CIRCLES ? [ARTICLE]

WHAT IS UP IN LOCAL TELEPHONE CIRCLES ?

Secretary of New Company Asks Rate That He So Bitterly Opposed for Present Concern. Telephone subscribers should get busy. There is a movement on hand to pass a franchise in the name of the Home Telephone Company that will grant them the right to charge rates as high as $1.50 per month for resident phones and $2.50 per month for business phones, and the revised ordinance will come up for passage at the ''■next meeting of the city .council, when the harmless looking ordinance has been pending for several weeks will come up in a revised form with the increased rate clause and also extending the franchise to 20 years, for final passage. The situation looks like this: The Jasper County Telephone Company offered to sell to the Home Telephone Co., and the deal h*s been on foot the past month. The original plan was to get Warren Washburn, of Goodland, to come here and co-oper-ate with the Home Company. Delos Thompson, president of the Jasper County Telephone Company, made them a price for the old plant, good will and all. At a meeting of the directors of the new company solicitors were appointed to try to secure stock subscribers on the basis of buying out the Jasper County Company. The solicitors were un-

successful. Some offers were made to buy stock if a franchise could be pro- • cured that would bring the rate up to $1.50 per month for residence and $2.50 for business phones. That would make it possible to borrow money op the bnsiness. Frank E. Babcock Is the secretary of the new company. He opposed the granting of an increased rate franchise to the Jasper County Telephone Co., but he asked to have the revision made to the ordinance now pending to grant a franchise to his company to provide for the very rates he so viciously assailed when the Jasper County Co. asked for a new franchise. One of two things is certain. If the franchise, as it will be amended the next meeting, is passed, the Home Telephone Co. a lot of new stockholders will buy out the Jasper County Telephone Co. and proceed to oper-

ate under the provisions and privileges of the new company, or the Jasper County Telephone Co. will buy out the franchise granted to the new company and change its name and proceed to take advantage of the increased rate provision. A month ago when the new franchise was first proposed it was bitterly opposed by the members of the Jasper County Co. Now the members of that company are willing to see it passed with the increased rate provisions and with a 20 instead of a 15 year term. Mr. Thompson said Monday night that he wanted to see them get a good franchise so that his company "could later get one j.ist as good. If people do not want their telephone rates raised, now is the time to get busy. As sure as this ordinance goes through, the rates will be raised 50 cents on every phone in Rensselaer. vi The editor of the Democrat, posing as the friend of the people, and claiming credit for having defeated the “graft” franchise asked by the present company, is now the arch conspirator and trying to secure a franchise on the very terms he fought. His paper and hot air company is out to either sell or buy, and Rensselaer people and the farmers about Rensselaer will be paying $1.50 per month within six months time if this ordinance passes.