Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-09-22
More About the Telephone War.

More About the Telephone War.
In last Friday S PLAIN DEALER was
published the version put upon the
matter by the Standard Telephone
Company. Today we give the way
the Northern Iowa Company view the
matter.
The N. I. Company has invested in
line and 'phones about s43, 900. A few
months ago the Standard Company
sought to sell its lines to the North.
ern Iowa, in view of which the Stand.
ard sent Mr.. Moran and the N. 1. Co.
appointing Mr.. Addie to go over the
line together, examine the poles, their
size and height, the quality and grade
OF the wire used, whether first, sec
ond or third grade of steel wire or of
copper. After this, the N. l. Co..
made proposition to purchase the
Standard line, one booth at Lime
Springs, and one at Cresco
the Standard Company to
take its phones, being of ancient
make and inferior in quality, and to
take out its switchboard and its en-
tire fixtures, leaving only the. poles
and the wire as the purchase of the
N. l. Co., for which the Standard Co.
was offered about $4,000, at least $3.50
more than its cost. This proposition
made to its President was taken away
by him With the promise of reply
which never came, the Company at
the time taking $4,000.
At the time these negotiations
were going on, its President limited
at raid, such as it is now making, as
means of coercion which might make
the purchase desirable to the N. I.
Tel, Co.
The money invested in the North
ern Iowa line was all furnished by
Cresco parties, or those residing in the
vici nifty, no person being permitted
to own more than 1000 of it's stock.
The earnings of the plant will not ex-
ceed s per cent upon its stock. At
this per cent 800 share OF stock at
the end Of the period for the life of
line would be S12O, when the line
would have to be constructed anew
and would wipe out the value of the
stock certificate. The Northern Iowa
has HOO 'phones in use; the cost of
constructing the line for each 'phone
is $40, the grade of phones 1T uses
costs $3.50, cost Of putting up is 81
so, making the cost of line and 'phone
s35 for each 'phone.
The Standard Co. proposes to the
farmers to construct for them lines t
S20 per 'phone, the farmers then to
purchase his own 'phone and have it
put in at his own expense, they, the
farmers to keep the line thereafter in
repair, which would bring the cost up
to S35 for each phone. besides the
cost of repairs and supervision to the
lines, which would fall upon the farm
ers owning the line and its 'phones.
The Northern Iowa will sell its lines
to the farmers, with the phones at
$50 each, which is S. better than the
Standard.offer. AS one of the perqui-
sites Of the Northern Iowa Co. is the
access it would give the farmers to
the entire line it operates and the
HOO phones upon them, as against
the one or two hundred 'phones on the
Staddard lines.
Again, the rates at Decorah, New
Hampton and other towns on its
lines are greater than the rates of
Northern Iowa in Cresco, and more
than any increase the N. I. Co. ever
contemplated. If the Standard Co
can afford to do business at the bluff
rates it proposes to give Cresco, why
does it maintain rate more than
twice as much in other towns?
Cresco is already overburdened with
demands for money for one purpose or
another. The present movement, II
successful will compel its business
men to rent and pay for the use of
two phones without .one particle of
benefit beyond what they can get
from single line, properly equipped.
After the farmers lines are built
they have to get into Cresco. When
the Albion and other farmers lines
came into Cresco they paid the Stan
dard Co, $40 each to bring them into
the city, and the cost of wire and put
ting 1t up besides. Farmers would do
we'll to refer to the farmers on these
lines, observing the motto "Look be-
fore you leap.
Terrible plaques, those itching, pes