The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-07

Mr.. Walllck said IL was the intention or the
company to continue taking out telephones as
the contracts expired, and If any subscribers de-
sire their instruments removed sooner, they only
have to leave word, and they will be taken out.
In a few days the service will be SO crippled that.
except on private lines, nobody will care to have
a telephone that connects with nothing, and
even those who might, under their contracts,
have kept their instruments until September,
will not care to do SD. Mr.. Wallick said the
company would gladly furnish private lines if
the city would allow their poles and wires to
stand, so they could do so. The exchange will
be closed up.
Half a dozen telephone combinations, mostly
of the paper variety, are figuring with a view to
establishing exchanges here, and their specious
schemes need close investigation, for their pro-
motors are as plausible as lightning-rod agents.
No matter what company comes in, it is not
likely it will be allowed to occupy
this rich field without interference from
the Bell Telephone Company, which is
all interlopers. Persons owning the Brown tele-
ephone want to organize a company with local
capital to use that instrument which is said to
be merely a Bell instrument. The Cushman tel
ephone Is not patented. but the company pro-
fesses to be able and willing to patent and oper-
ate its instruments. The Pan-electric owns the
Rodgers, patent, which has already been e~njoined
by the Bell company. The National Improve
ment Telephone Company has been e~nioined in
New Orleans by the Bell, and the decision of the
court is expected in this case this week. There
ara a score Of other telephones, but many of
them have already been silenced by the Bell.
Among these is the Overland, which already has
the privileges of this city, but. having been en-
joined, is in poor condition to enjoy them.
j. L. Bay, general manager of the Southern
Telephone Company, of Little Rock. Ark, is the
latest telephone arrival. He says his company
is in successful operation at Little Rock, with an
exchange of FIVE hundred subscribers in opposi-
ton to the Bell, which, in every way, tried to
prevent their establishing themselves. The new
company claims to have taken away nearly all
the Bell subscribers, owing to lower prices for
service and the fact that the company was com
posed of home people. This company proposes
to sell the telephone outright-a good instrument
at a low price. and upon which no royalty is
asked. Mr.. Bay comes here from Evansville,
where he has been showing his telephone. He
says the business men of Evansville who talked
over these instruments expressed themselves as
satisfied that they are in every way as desirable
as the Bell telephone. Mr.. Bay says that an ex'
change using his telephones will not be encum-
bered with any royalty, and at a rental OF So a
month the exchange will be able to give good
service and make a large profit. He says he is
abundantly able to carry out any contract that
he may be able to make here.
TALL ABOUT THE TELEPHONE TROUBLES.
A Member of the City Government-.I hope
the Council will 60 slow and commit no folly in
hastily passing an ordinance granting telephone
privileges to any one. l think there is nothing
in the Cushman project but wind-speculative
wind. They have no telephone, no line in oper
alton anywhere. 1t has been got up by a slick lot
of speculative Chicagoans, who should not be
allowed to scoop in a franchise worth 500, 600 or
more, as the telephone grant of this city would
be, without the closest investigation. The idea
of a city voting its franchise away IN this incon-
siderate way TO men of whose character we
know absolutely nothing, is something appalling.
ought to respect. When we do grant this priv
ilege let it be to some company that can at least
show sufficient capital to put up a cross. bar and
pole and can at least produce one single tele-
phone instrument that it owns either by pur-
chase or invention.
Another Conference.-The Cushman PROPOSE
ton for a service hne to let any one buy his own
telephone and hitch on is q mischieyous one.