The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-01
THE TELEPHONE QUESTION.
The Local Companies in Indiana Cancel
Contracts. Something Of Inter.
est TO Citizens of Illinois.


The law to regulate the rental Of tele-
phones in Indiana goes into effect July l..
The telephone people claim the rates are
already as low as they can be made, and
that to enforce the new rates will be to
kill the business. Major Hoover, super
intendent of the Central Union compsI y,
which operates nearly all the telephones
in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, vas
interviewed at Springfield the other day,
and gives the following interesting ac~
count of the situation:
Yes, our company has served notice
on all our subscribers in Indiana that we
desire to cancel our contract with them
June 80 next. Just what our course will
be when that time arrives / am not pre-
pared to say. 1t is hoped that the rela>
lions between the company and its pres
ent subscribers may be renewed. but we
desire TO be in position to act as cir
cumstances may dictate at the time.
such legislative bills are generally
drawn up by some one who has no
knowledge of the business, and by listen
ing only to one side of the question. they
have in this case done an injustice to the
telephone companies, greatly retarded
the progress of the business, and pos
sibly brought trouble and incon-
venience upon the business mer
and citizens of Indiana.
"The trouble is the public do not seen
to understand that the telephone is oper-
ated by local companies, under license
from the patentee. That is we do no,
own the patent. and after deducting the
royalties and necessary expenses of con
struction and operation. it is simply i'm
possible to make any reduction in oul
prices. AS it is we are making no money
at all, and those folks who cry extortior
at us can have all the telephone stock
they want, at figures that will doubtless
surprise them. They think after ou
wires are once up the expense is don,
with But these wires need constant at
tention, and competent employees must
be kept on hand at all hours to repsi
wires and instruments We cannot pu
everybody on the same wire, like tele
graph line or gas company. Each sub
scriber has his own private wire, 50 that
his business can be conducted privately
And each new line costs money, and adds
to the expense of maintenance and ope-
ration.
There is a prevailing misconceptiol
that the telephone company gets every
thing and gives nothing in return. viii
venture the assertion that we are payin.
taxes on fsirer valuation of our proper
ty than any corporation In the state. w
give to cities and towns gratuitously tn
best fire and police alarm in the world
while our service is always at the com
mand of the unfortunate in sickness o
accident.
1T seems TO me we have been ON tn
defensive long enough. That there is tina
spirit of fair play among the American
people that they will not hesitate longer II
to do US justice. They can figure as wei
as US, and when they do so they will fint
that we cannot do the business for les
money. and that, in many instances, tn
hue and cry for lower rates is kept up b
men who are sponging their telephone US
from some fair minded subscriber, an
who would not take telephones at an
price. 50 long as they can impose on thei
neighbors."
1T is therefore to be hoped there viii
be no legislation that will place the PEG
pile of Illinois and the telephone compan
les in such critical and unfortunate pos
ition as they find themselves in Indiana
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