Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-10-09
WORKING OVER Time
CounciImen Fail to Reach Con-
clusion on Telephone Prop
ositions.
POSITION OF THE FARMERS HEARD
Mr.. Bills and Col. Thomas Speak
for Their Respective
Ordinances.

Il
on telephone ordinances. At a meet
ing of the special telephone and ordi-
nance committees held last evening
the entire council was present and
devoted two hours to consideration
of the various phases of the telephone
propositions. When an adjournment
was taken nothing further than the
consideration of two sections of the
ordinance of the Illinois Independent
Telephone company ID been ac-
comPlished.
| The two sections were these rela-
ting to the number of phones the
company proposed to give rent free
to the city, which was passed without
amending. and the one fixing the
bond Of The Company to insure the
city against damage, which wss
chaoged at the suggestion OF Col w.
S. Thomas, the comPany's represent
alive, to require the renewal of the
bond annually. This done, the chair
man CT the meeting, Aid. A. q. An
derson. called upon some of the coun-
try telephone owners and the pro-
moters. Of the com panies who are ask
ing ad mission TO the city to present q
general symposium on the telephone
Question.
Injustice tn City Subscribers.
The first one called upon was H l.
Framing, of Milan. who explained at
some length the injustice of charging
city subscribers toll for talking to
the country when they already pay q
liberal rate of rental for their service
Mr.. Framing also declared himself
very much in favor of absolutely free
and interchangeable service between
the city and country. Then a. A.
Buffum, also of Milan. and the owner
of an instrument on the same line as
Mr.. Flaming, arose to state that to his
notion the country line owners AS
rule are not in favor of free commun-
ication with the cities of Rock Island
and Moline. Most of them. ne said,
re.l!ze that small toll is necessary
TO sift out the small talk that would
keep & foee line occupied and to per-
NIT those with business to transact to
obtain satisfs cory service Further.
il is fit that if the country lines are
permitted to collect a toll one way it
will create fund that may be used
to the betterment of the rural service,
beneftting alike city and country
subscribers.
| Mr Bills Is Heard.
+ l.. Bills, promoter of the Union
Electric Telephone and Telegraph
company, was next heard in behalf of
mis- company. He reviewed the pre-
vious effort he had made to secure a
fra chise here and the success the
company had met in similar enter
prises in the cities in this state since
that time. He declared that he had
always intended to return and renew
his proposition in this city and
pointed out that in view of the work
that had been done in the past two
years his company is now betI er pre-
pared than ever to back its promises
and give good service. He also ex-
planned the company's method of
Id oipg business with the farmers
about some of the other cities where
fran chises have been secured. In
struments are rented to the farmers
at SIS year and 5-ceut tolls are
charged each way
Finds Field Open.
Col. w. s. Thomas talked for the
Illinois Independent Telephone COM
panv. He declared that his company
had been invited here and found the
field open. Also that The individual
Experience of those at the head of his
company was such that, with the
financial backing they had, the ability
to carry out all they agreed to was
assured. From the fact that there
are over five hundred Independent
telephone exchanges in the state with
which they may connect by long dis
| lance wires, he felt that no other in
dependent company can claim advan-
tage over them in that respect. He
also added that as far as the farmers
are concerned they are left free I'M
der his proposition to charge each
other as much toll as they wish for
the maintenance of the country lines,
but the city will be free to them If the
favor is reciprocated.
Aldermen Non-CommIttaI
On account of the lateness of the
hour adjournment followed Col.
Thomas remarks. and the Bills e.
Workman ordinance was left I'M
touched. During the discussion few
of the aldermen had anything to
say, and no one committed him
self in any manner. Even those
who usually are very ready to talk
kept discreet silence On the other
hand the country representatives
failed, as those at the previous meet
ing did, to explain certain things with
reference to the offer of exchange
made by the Central Union company.
In private conversation after the
meeting, however. it came out that
the company demands for itself a
scent toll each way, meaning prac-
ticalIy a 10-cent rate If the country
lines wish to get anything out of the
lransactisn.