The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-06
The Twin City System Will Build
Around Minnetonka.
RATES TO DULUTH ARE REDUCED
New Connections Completed ana q
Heavy slash Made In the
Rate.
Minneapolis and st. Paul having had

Minneapolis and St. Paul having had
a telephone war, Lake Minnetonka is to
be treated to q similar spectacle.
The Northwestern and Twin City com-
panies, which have passed through the
stage Of border warfare and have got
down to business in the cities, will trans
fer the scene of open hostilities to the
big summer resort. 1t will be an object
for lake jewellers to move into their cot
tages early the coming season In order 70
see. the fun. 1t will be highly amusing
to see the representatives OF both COM
panies touching the high places around
the lake in the rush for business.
The Northwestern Telephone exchange
company has already signified It's S1nten-
ton of affiliating with the MlnnetonKa
Telephone company, which has projected
forty-fve miles of telephone wire, con-
Meeting with all Important places at the
lake, the coming season. The new SUD
urban company has even gone so Tar as
to arrange for a central sWitchboard at
Excelsior for. the convenience o. lake
patrons AS an early bid for patronage
this company has also held out the pros
pect Of reduced long distance rates. Here
tofore 1t has cost 10 cents to talk with
Minneapolis and an extra Is, 80 or 70
cents for messenger service in order to
bring the desired ones to the phone. Now,
with the proposed continuous system
around the lake, the Excelsior Central
will accommodatingly summon people to
the phone free of charge, provided they
are customers of the company.
Il. C. Will Build Too.
Representatives of the Twin City COM
pany now intimate that the Minnetonka
Telephone company is really an offshoot
Of the Northwestern company. They say,
further, that the Northwestern company
is simply taking this way of heading OH
plans already in contemplation by the
Twin City company for extending its serv-
ice so as to include all principal points
on the lake.
E. E. Webster, general manager Of the
Twin City company, says that corpora
ton has been aware Of the. Northwest
erns designs on the lake for some time
and has been making its plans accord
ingly.
''If any one imagines that the North
western company has been stealing
! march on u.s. said Mr.. Webster, che is
badly mistaken. We wish all our patron:
to understand that we will build to Min
| netonka this season and extend the lake
| system as rapidly as our increase IN sub
scribers will permit. We have agents IL
| the field already, and will commence al
| active canvass as soon as the season
| opens. We will build an exchange build
1 Ing DIT SOuS Central pO1uL OA JIG Ae'iAO
| either at Excelsior or Wayzata, and will
not allow the intentions Of the othe
company to interfere with our plans i,
! the slightest"
! Connections With Duluth.
| Mr.. Webster announced this Afternoon
that the new Consolidated Telegraph an
| Telephone company between Minneapoli
and Duluth, of which E. H. Moulton o
the Twin City company is +, president
| opened it's line for business yesterday
With the Twin City system for it's south
| ern feeder, the new line connects in Du
luth with the Independent Telephone com
pany and it's 1900 subscribers and wit
the Peoples company Of West Superio
and it's 800 additional subscribers. TIL
Duluth rate, heretofore rs cents for thre
minutes, will be reduced to so cents owe
the new line. .
The Minnetonka Telephone people in
sist that they are in business for them
selves, and assert that in joining hand
with the Northwestern they are simpl
consulting the best wishes of prospec
tive patrons. In the meantime their SO
licitors are doing some tall hustlin
among the lake people, and have littl
difficulty, they say, in securing signatures
Their rates for lake telephones have bee
fixed at s36 year for single lines an
.S24 for each subscriber on party lines.