The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-03-13
NOT CENTRAL UNION SCHEME
MIR. Potts Denies that Pickens's Com
pany Is of This Order.

Messrs. Potts and Pickens are about ready
to incorporate the telephone company that
is to be operated on the plan of the Con-
sumers' CAST Trust Company. When the
Board of Works prepares it's specifications
the company they will organize will take
steps to secure the franchise but will ask
that the board take into consideration facts
that the other companies cannot offer when
it comes to letting the new contract. The
new company will insist that the fact that
it proposes ultimately to furnish telephones
to subscribers at cost should be taken into
consideration as we'll as the annual amount
it offers to pay the city.
Mr.. Potts says that there is no desire on
the part of any one to discount the work
that has been done by the New telephone
company. "A well-known banker told me-"
said Mr.. Potts, that indianapolis had an
opportunity to solve the question Of munich
pal ownership now that had never been pre-
scented to any other city. The plan we pro-
pose will give to the people all the benefits
that accrue from municipal ownership of
the public utilities without the evils sur
rounding such ownership. The water works.
street cars and electric lighting can be OPP
Grated for the benefit of the people so that
they may receive all service at actual cost"
There has been some talk 90 the effect
that the plan suggested by Mr. Potts was
not generally Endorsed. To test this asser-
ton paper indorsing the plan and urging
the Board of Works to let the contract to
some company organized on the line of the
Consumers Gas Trust Company was circu-
lated an hour Friday. 1t was signed in
that short time by the following:
The Bowen-Merrill Company, Kahn Tai
loring Company, c. E. Coffin Il Co.. Globe
Clothing Company, Marceau & Power
James 5. Cruise, John S. Spann & Co. Eek
house Bros. Bannon & Co., Peoples OUTFIT
Thomas G. Day, lndianapolis Trunk Com.
pany, Hay & Willis Manufacturing Com
pany Gem Garment Company; Baldwin.
Miller & Co., Levy Bros. e. Co., M. M. Me-
Elwaine, Gregory & Appel J. A. Lemcke
Joseph =. Boswell, Kothe, Wells & Bauer,
Hayes & Ready. Taylor & Smith, o. H.
Hasselman, ". z; Kurtz, Baker & Thorn
ton, A. M: GlossBrenner, Henry H. Fay,
Meyer & Kiser, Louis H. Gibson, Ovid d.
ertson, l. N. Richie, Louis c. Deschler.
2; F. Flickenger, Rich & Mcvey, w. P.
& Co., r. Kirschbaum, Capital Paper Com
liam S. Fish, s. K: sellg, Charles 3. Pear
SON & Co., Elmer E. Nichols Company, IN
diana Rubber Company, John w. Elstun.
Mr., Potts says that in the short time the
petition was circulated but three persons
We're found who did not approve It, and
they admitted having counter-interests Mr..
EOllS declares there is no
truth in limitations from other telephone
interests that Mr.. Pickens represented any
Central Union scheme. The character of
the men already chosen as directors pre-
cludes such an idea, he says. They are:
Horace Z. Kinney, Edward Evans, NJ s.
Huey II. +. Bliss, H. w. Bennett, A. E.
Metzger, Z. B. Porter and A F. Potts.
Other directors remain to be selected. When
this is done the work of incorporating the
company viii be completed.
The Central Union Telephone Company
has decided 1t would be altogether wise for
it to ignore various statements that have
been made in the last few weeks with re-
gard to telephone rates, the cost of op-
Grafton, profits, etc, as well as with regard
TO the number of outside exchanges that
have-no way of communicating with Indian
ap0lis. w. A. Jackson, president Of the
company at Chicago. has written the Board
Of Works, asserting that many statements
made by the various companies that are
asking for franchises cannot be borne out
by the facts. He asked for conference
before the board takes action to finally
cut out a company that has been furnish
ing telephones at the lowest rates con-