The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1904-04-09

The international Telephone and
Telegraph project, for the connec-
| ton of the cities of Victoria and
Bellingham by a system of submarine
cables and aerial wires via the San
Juan islands, as outlined in the ISL
ANDER last week, came up before
the county commissioners this week
in the form Of an application in the
name of David E. Lain, promoter of
the enterprise, for a guarantee of
county patronage for five years. Mr.
Lain appeared before the board and
outlined the plans of the company
and reviewed the various efforts
which have been made during the
past year or more to establish cable
connection with the islands, and stat
ing at public meeting held Monday
day evening that the Importance of
the matter had been first called to
the attention of the Whatcom Com
mercial Club, now the Bellingham
Chamber of Commerce, by the editor
of the ISLANDER.
Efforts which at one time seemed
likely to be successful were made to
induce the Sunset Telephone Com
pany to take hold of the matter, but
estimates of the cost and probable
revenue were not sufficiently encour-
aging. Several months ago Mr.. Lain
learned that the New Westminster
and Burrard Inlet Telephone Com
pany which owns all the telephone
lines on the mainland of British Col
umbia and on Vancouver island, was
planning to establish cable connec-
ton so as to afford long distance
communication between the cities of
Victoria and Vancouver. He went
to Vancouver and succeeded after a
time in interesting the officers of the
Canadian company in the advisability
of establishing their connection by
way of the San Juan islands, instead
of crossing the wide expanse of the
Gulf of Georgia further'north.
The commissioners, in response to
strongly expressed sentiment of
the business. men and taxpayers OF
the county, had agreed to aid the
earlier project, and realizing quickly
the great superiority of the new
plan, they felt it to be their duty, in
the interest of the county, to extend
the reasonable aid asked, subject to
certain conditions as to time, main
tenance of service and use of cou-
pons. Under the resolution adopted
by the board the county agrees to
purchase $500 worth of service cou-
pons at regular tariff rates annually
for a period of five years, the first
pavment not to be made until the
/ system is in successful operation be-
tween Victoria and Bellingham, con-
Meeting San Juan, Lopez, Shaw and
Orcas Islands. Coupons are to be
transferable and will be good for the
use of anyone on any business, either
between the islands or the terminal
points. The resolution in the form
submitted by Mr.. Lain did not pro
vide for the connection of Lopez isl
and with the cable system, leaving
that for the local company to do, but
Commissioner Graham very properly
insisted that it be included and it is,
hardly probable that any objection
will be made by Mr.. Lain or the gen.
tlemen with whom he is associated
The resolution requires that the sys-
tenn be in successful operation within
one year and that good service shah
be maintained for not less than ten
years.. without interruption for a
| longer period than three months.
! The ISLANDER is advised that the