Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-01-09
A TELEPHONE SCHEME.
The Wisconsin Telephone Co. Seeks
Connections With Local Companies.
LOCAL PRESIDENTS OPINION OF 1T.

Valley, held at the Pilot office, in the
city of Wausau, at 2 O'Clock. The
following named representatives were
present:
Grand Rapids. A. Gaynor.
MarShfield-RO @. KrauS.
Wausau-N. Heinemann, F. p.
Stone, James Montgomery, W. W.
Albers and E. B. Thayer.
Merrill-H. R.*Fehland and Julius
Thielman.
Rhinelander-Art Taylor and B.
r. Lewis, who also represented TOma-
hawk.
Fl. R. Fehland was chosen chairman
and e. B. Thayer secretary.
When the meeting was called it was
for the purpose of getting the COM
mittee together which was appointed
at the meeting held last June, to
bring about a consolidation of all the
toll lines in the Wisconsin River
Valley, and that committee consisted
of Messrs. Gaynor, Stone, Theilman,
Bradley and Taylor. When the com
mittee arrived in Wausau, it was smet
by E. B. Cottrill. of Milwaukee,
general superintendent, and P. j.
SkOlSky, of Eau Claire, division super
intendent of the Wisconsin Telephone
company, who wished to make
proposition to the different indie
pendent companies in the valley,
hence it was deemed advisable to call
in the directors Of the Wausau tele-
phone company. The proposition
made by the Wisconsin company was
to run its lOng-distance lines into each
exchange of the different cities in the
valley SO that communication can be
had with all subscribers, they to fur
niSh the Bell receivers and trans
mitterS in even exchange for those
now on the telephones. This exchange
was principally to make everything
uniform. Nearly three hours were
taken up in discussing the proposition
when it was decided that when the
Wisconsin company could make
satisfactory arrangements with all
theindependent companies interested,
another meeting should be called by
Chairman Fehland. 1t is hard to say
whether the proposition will be
accepted at present writing, but there
is no question but that it would be a
great step in advance for the benefit
Of telephone users in the valley.
A meeting of the toll line repre-
SentativeS was held later but little
was done further than to report
progress.
The Wisconsin Telephone Co. offers
TO put in and maintain free of charge
its phones for term of ten years,
instead of the phones now in use here;
and to give us direct connection with
all of its toll lines, and pay us Is per
cent. Of the tolls.
Additional phones to pay to the
Wisconsin Co. yearly rental of 81 %,
we to connect only with such lines and
exchanges as might seem fit to make a
like contract with the Wisconsin Co.
This proposition was lately sub
mitted to the several independent
telephone companies not doing bust
ness on the Wisconsin Valley, and
was fully considered by our Board of
Directors and in their behalf | make
the following answer to their offer
The spirit in which the Wisconsin
Telephone Company has approached
us in this matter entities their pro-
position to a full and unbiased
consideration. The Board of Directors
OF the Wood County Telephone
Company have carefully canvaSSed the
matter over, and while they realize
that the proposed contract would
probably double the earnings of the
Wisconsin Company at this place, and
at the same time reduce its expenses
more than 90 per cent, yet we do not
object to it for that reason and will
stand ready to accept any contract
which will afford us on the whole
some advantage, no matter how small
Through our local telephone
exchange organized on the mutual
wisconsin Valley Plan, F." we are able
to furnish to ourselves local telephone
service at cost, and we can operate our
local telephone exchange for less cost
than any outside private corporation
can operate it for us: and while fully
90 per cent. of the service that we
render is purely local. we have a few
patrons who occasionally demand long
distance service, but this service is so
small as compared with the local ser
vice that we cannot afford to sacrifice
very much to secure it.
What would we gain by using the
bell tranSmitter and receiver? We
think now our local telephone service
is good, and if it is not good, it is in
the power of the majority to select
the best tranSmitterS and receivers
the market has to offer, and there are
many Of these that are not Inferior to
the ones offered us by the Wisconsin
Telephone Company.
BY renting our tranSmitterS and
receivers from the Wisconsin Company
and becoming their lessee as proposed
in the contract we would lose a part
of that liberty of selection which we
now enjoy, and we would have to use
such tranSmitterS and receivers as our
lessor would furnish.
1t is true that the lessor agrees to
put these instruments in good cOndi-
tion when delivered to them at Mil
Waukee, we to pay the express both
ways. Would not the express charge
and bother for the year amount to
nearly as much as we now pay for
repairing our tranSmitterS and
receivers?
Under this contract, we could not
construct Of admit to our exchange Il
toll line that refused to become the
lessee of the Wisconsin Telephone
Company The interests of our city
may demand that we build indepen-
dent toll lines on purely business
considerations, even when the revenue
they will yield is insufficient to pay a
large interest on the capital invested
The freedom to build or admit to our
exchange such lines we would have to
abandon unless they complied with
the requirements of the Wisconsin
Company. 1t is of more value to us