The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1897-11-10
Important Telephone Change.


After seventeen years of continuous service
in the telephone business, the undersigned now
makes public the fact that the stock franchises,
good will and plant of the Vermont Telephone
and Telegraph Company have passed into the
possession and control of the New England
Telephone and Telegraph Company In maxi
ing this announcement, the. public will nat
urally ask, What did you do that for?" My
answer is that the New England Telephone
and Telegraph Company wanted the plant for
the purpose of controlling the connection by
telephone through the territory occupied by
the plant of the Vermont Telephone and Tele
graph Company, and thus bring under one sys-
tenn the entire telephone business of this state.
For the past twelve years the New England
Telephone and Telegraph Company have made
annual endeavors to purchase my telephone
plant; but the offers they have made have
never heretofore been regarded sufficient to in
duce me to part with it, preferring to continue
to own and manage plant which had taken
no little pride in building up and perfecting.
Within the last few weeks, however, negoti-
atons have been earnestly renewed, and offers
made which i considered it for my interest to
accept, with the result that from and after
November LIST the business has passed into the
control of the new company.
When, in the fall of 1880. / undertook-what
at that time looked like hopeless task-to
start a telephone exchange in Montpelier, many
were the unfavorabe predictions as to the final
result. But seventeen years of persistent hard
work, with the push and energy which have
| been indispensable to the accomplishment of
| the results attained, have given to the people
| of Central Vermont telephone service which
has been constantly improved and is to-day
second to none in the country. That so desira-
| BILE an addition to the larger and more extern
sive plant of the New England Telephone and
| Telegraph Company should be looked upon by
| that mpany with longing eyes, is not to be
wondered att neither is it strange that the
managers of that company should do their ut
most to make it an object to me to turn over
| the plant to them. 1t goes without saying that
there is no "fowery beds of ease for the man
who has the care and responsibility Of a tele-
| phone plant covering the entire counties OF
| Washington and Lamoille, and extending be-
You'd these two counties into five other counties
in the State, with nearly five thousand miles OF
wire and between six and seven hundred diff
ferent instruments to look after. And so
when | considered that | have already entered
upon the last of my allotted years of life
and saw way clear to be relieved of 50 much
care and responsibility, without pecuniary sac
rifce, was the more easily persuaded to "let
it GO"
nj most earnestly bespeak for my successors
the cordial support of all my present patrons
assuring them that the efforts to improve tn,
service, so successfully commenced by me- vii
be even more energetically continued by them
! do not understand that any radical changes
are contemplated in the programme heretofore
! pursued by me; put that the new manage
ment will endeavor, first, to give the public
good service, and after that to make the prize
of such service as reasonable as is commensu
rate with the payment of the necessary expen
ses of maintenance and fair return for thu
capital invested. Until other and better ar
rangements can be made the plant and its in
terests have been placed in my care; and pat
rons will, for the present, continue to do bust
ness with me the same as heretofore.
In this connection | have two suggestions t
make. FIRST to call the attention of the busi
ness men of Montpelier to the commercial ad
vantages resulting to them from the telephon
plant which radiates from Montpelier to al
parts of the state,-a feeder to their bushes
interest which | have sometimes doubted
they fully appreciated. And, second, to in
press upon those interested in telephone SCI
vice the fact that one telephone plant in an
place, will give better and more satsfactor
service than if divided into two or more rivs
plants, with multiplicity of poles and wires i
the Streets and the added expense of two @
more instruments to reach the patrons of tn
rival companies.
l have sincere thankfulness to those VIII
have al all times encouraged me with kin
words; and also equally heartfelt forgivnes
for chronic "kickers, who have hurt then
selves more than they have me.
A. C. Brown.