Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-02-24
HuBINGeR OURS QUINCY.
Te -paons Pa ,rs0r WstEd ava From the
G. m CITY

Z
On C.sy
J. &C. Hubinger has. grown weary
of trying TO obtain telephone fran
chise at Quincy and has telegraphed
the city authorities of that place that
he has withdrawn from the field, and
not to regard him an applicant for
franchise any longer. The Quincy
council rep, ried 10 favor Of grant
of this kind, setting July l. 1897. rs
the date for the opening Of new ex-
change with service equal to that
given BY the exchange now in opera
ton there, with $.8 for residence
and t24 for business telephones. per
annum, the life of the franchise to
be Is years, rental rates to be rees-
tablished every three years, $500
bond to be filed within 20 days to Sc
cure performance. Mr.. Hubinger
would accept nothing Of the kind.
but the interesting part of it is that
he pulled out of Quincy several
hours before the report Of this coun-
Gil committee rame to his knowledge.
SO it was not the terms demanded by
the city that scared him. As far as
known he is still figuring. to some
ex lent. on establishing telephone ex-
changes in some of the Iowa towns,
but there is no saying how soon he
may be discouraged with them. In
Burlington he is asking something
that he will not get-5-year con-
tracts with subscribers. ALI that
any telephone company has ever
asked, hitherto, has bsen q 1-year
contract.
According to the Keokuk Gate
City. j. c. Hubinger, of that place,
has already been granted a franchise
for telephone exchange there. The
Davenport Democrat says, apropes of
these statements: ..f all the Gate
City's statements touching Mr.. HUI
binger and his exchanges elsewhere
are as reliable as this one about Dav-
export you can't believe much that
You read in that gentleman's home
papers. He has received no fran
chise here, and he may be good
way from getting one. 1t all de-
ponds on the action taken on the
other side of the river. Moline is
reported to be ready to give him one.
but it is said that there is many q
hitch in Rock Island. Davenport has
no use for a telephone exchange that
can't do business across the river.
But no doubt Mr.. Hubipger is max.
good use of the Gate City's article.
which states that this city has given
him an ordinance. in inducing the
same thing in other places where he
is seeking to establish his cheap ex-
change"
As far as the privileges soug ht by
M. Huoinger here are concerned, the
committee TO which his application
was referred met several times to
consider his proposition. but he was
not present at any Of them, and the
committee has 80 reported to the
council. The e the matter rests.
just at present. however, Mr..
Hu binger is having trouble with his
street railway franchise in Keokuk.
whe he has Withdrawn his electric
cars on the ground that they d. not
pay. If he does not reestablish SER
vice in 80 days, the Keokuk council
may take his franchise from him.
In regard to criticisms relative to
the way cars were operated. Mr. HUI
b niger stated that he had tried to give
h okuk first class street car SER
vice and recounted a number of diff
iculi les which he had encountered.
among them poor patronage. Mr..
Hubinger also discussed lie. ephone
matters and stated that as far as
Quincy l. concerned he did not think
he had been treated fairly, and was
| through with that town. In Bur-
lington his representatives are solic-
ting subscribers for the new ex-
changes. and day or go will develop
whether or not he would put in a
81 stem in that city. He also stated
that he would have his X. okuk tele-
phone system in working order by
the first of March.