Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-12-27
TELEPHONE TROUBLE
Rural Lines Centering in Milan
Engaged in a Lively
Jangle.
URBAN CONNECTION THE CAUSE
Contentious of the Central Union
Telephone company.-The
Farmers View

A strife over rural telephone mat
tiers is on among owners of the lines
centering in Milan, and from its
nature. it is safe to predict it will ex-
tend further. The cause of it all
seems to be proposition on the part
of the Central Union Telephone COM
pany by which rural subscribers may
secure direct connection with the
| central Office in Rock Island for
nominal exchange rate and other con-
siderations.
In order to understand the stu
alton it should be known that there is
war TO the death between the man
ufacturers of the Bell instruments
and those of other makes. The Cent
raj Union company, of course, uses
| Bell instruments, while the rural
lines are equipped with independent
makes. 1t has been contended in the
past that the Bell interests were op
posed to the establishment Of mutual
lines of whatever nature, recognizing
| in them i serious menace to q monop-
| oily in the telephone business, The
accompanying use of independent
makes of instruments was also con-
sidered blow at the Bell interests.
| This contention was strengthened by
the efforts that have been made in
various communities by the Central
Union company to buy up, or in other
| manner. secure control of the mutual
lines. So it has come to pass that
every advance made toward COM
promise of the situation by the Cent
| raj Union company is looked upon
with great suspicion in the country
districts.
The Central Uunion company de-
clares that, in order to get a uniform
service for its city patrons, and to
protect the company from harmful
criticism on account of some inferior
instruments in the country, it is nee
essary to use uniform transmitters,
those of the Bell being naturally fav-
cred. 1t IS further claimed that, I'M
der the patent rights by which the
exclusive use of the Bell phones is
secured to the company, certain
terms prohibit the recognition of any
other style Of Instruments.
Growth of Country System.
A year or more ago country tele-
phone lines in the lower end of the
county were almost unknown. Now
there are half dozen lines centering
in Milan. an equal or greater number
at Taylor Ridge and Edgington, while
Reynolds is a veritable telephone en-
porium. None of these lines however,
use Bell instruments and conse uent-
~ none of them can connect with any
any lines of the Central Union COM
pany.
G. S. Wangelin, of this city, has
been Installing and repairing instru
ments in the country. He owns the
switchboard at Milan and recently he
secured in quiet way line into this
city over trees, trolley poles and
house tops. He used an independent
instrument and furnished the rural
lines their first direct connection with
any point in the city. Being ground
wire, however, it was influenced by
the return current of the Watch
Tower street car line and the
service was not satisfactory. Then
Mr.. Wangelin conceived of plan by
which he could take advantage of an
arrangement operated by the Central
Union company in other places and
furnish rural line owners service to
the cities at q moderate cost to them
aud with some benefit to him self
The proposition he made to the farm
ers was 10 rent to them Bell trans
mitters or the talking" parts of the
telephone which be would place in
the instruments they happened to be
using, for 81 a year, or the same price
the Central Union company charged
him for them. In addition TO this, he |
offered to keep their instruments in
repair, their batteries charged and. |
where all parties on a line adopted |
the plan, to keep the line in repair |
for So more a year. This arrange |
ment would leave the owner in con |
troll and could get exchange with |
Rock Island and Moline for five cents |
q message. The Central Union com
pany placed an additional metallic |
circuit line on it's poles from here to
Milan, and some of the rural tele-
phone subscribers had Bal trans
mitters installed.
When the Trouble Began
Then the trouble began. Many
were radically against the new order
of things and favored refusing pas
sage through the switches to those
using Bell transmitters. A stormy
joint meeting was held at Milan last
Saturday night, but nothing was ac
com plished in the way of a settle
ment. At present Wangelin appears
to hold the key to the situation, for
he owns the switch in the village. and
the franchise under which the various
lines enter the town ermits of but one
central Office. So the dissenting par
ties are disposed to reflect before cut
ting of all switch connections. In