The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-02-17
THE TELEPHONE SITUATION.
Newberry to Have Good Telephone Ser.
vlce-LOng Distance. Connection With
Outside World Through the
Bell Company.

purchased from Mr.. Floyd, preparin
an estimate, which will show in deta
every item of material necessary t
metallic circuit the plant, and install il
system of long distance telephones
The business men of the city are man
Testing their desire to see the Bell Com
pany in operation here by signing
petition which is being circulated b.
Mr.. r. D. Smith, which petition, if ac
cepted by the Bell Company, will be il
effect contract on it's part to furnisl
hrst-class service at the rates mentione'
therein which rates are the sam
charged in other towns Of this size 70
period of five years.
A reporter for The Herald and New!
saw Mr.. j. Epps Brown, special agen
of the Bell Company, who authorized
the following statement:
'The Southern Bell Telephone Com
pany, as l have previously stated, pro
poses to give the subscribers here first
class telephone service, to do which
Will require the immediate expenditure
OF considerable SUM of money. To this
end competent construction man has
been here for the past few days, going
carefully over every route in the city,
obtaining the data from which will be
prepared at once an estimate showing
every item of material necessary to
metallic circuit the entire local plant,
put In new switchboard and install
long distance Bell Instruments at each
and every station-business and resi-
dence. Immediately following the COM
pletlon of this estimate, the required
material will be ordered, and upon it's
receipt, the actual work of rebuilding
the plant will proceed without delay.
When this work is completed and ~.
new service is noted, l apprehend an
increase of rs per cent. in the number
OF subscribers now connected with the
exchange. This has been the experience
elsewhere where the Bell Company has
gotten hold of local plants, rebuilt them
and furnished improved service-and as
Newberry is one of, if not the best,
place on earth, see no reason why this
should not be the result here.
"All parties who own their own lines,
and connect with the local system here
will be allowed to continue these con-
nections-except that the Bell Company
will furnish them telephones instead of
having them furnish their own instru-
ments. This will give them much bet
ter service than they now get. The
only thing we will insist upon is that
they will keep their lines in good shape,
so as not to depreciate our local service.
Unlimited service will also be continued
between Newberry and Prosperity.
'The long distance lines will be cut
into the central office just as soon as
practicable and booth installed so that
those desiring to do so, can get the use
of the long distance lines. After the
local plant is rebuilt, these lines will be
cut into the switchboard and any sub
scriber can then talk from his residence
or business station without going to
pay station"
In reply to question as to the result
OF the Bell Company having a monopoly,
Mr.. Brown said:
i can best answer your question by
asking you to note the result in those
towns and cities where it now has and
has always had, what is termed mo-
5nopoly. In those places, which are
numerous, the subscribers are entirely
satisfied with our service and our rates.
being willing to profit by the experience
Eof numerous other towns which have
tried the expensive experiment of two
companies. In Rome, Griffin, Newman,
Athens, Macon, Columbus, Americus,
Albany, Thomasville. Ca, in Mont
5gomery, Gadsden, Admission, Troy,
4Opeleka, Ala, Pensacola, Fla, and
in numerous other towns and cities, the
s{Bell Company has always had the field
exclusively, and notwithstanding the
;stalk you hear about the monopoistic
Tendencies of this institution it remains
Sa fact that in none Of the towns men,
stloned have rates been made different
Efrom rates in other towns and cities of
similar size. In Columbus, Ga, and
tsPensacola, Fla, towns in the same class
&Wlth reference to size as Columbia, S.
So, the rates are the same in each and
yet in the two former the Bell Com
pany has always had the field exclu-
S&sively, and in Columbia there is a COM
speting company. In Americus, Ga,
with The exclusive field, the rates are
she same as at Spartanburg, town of
simil,.r size, where until recently there
was competing company. Further, in
all Of the above mentioned towns where
the Bell Company has had the exclusive
field, the plants have all been periodi
cally rebuilt, in order to keep up the ser
vice. Talk is cheap, but it takes facts
to back it up not idle predictions.
"The Southern Bell Company pro
poses to give good service, at rates
which they know, (not think) are en-
tireiy reasonable and the complete an,
absolute financial failllre Of s0 mony in