Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1904-05-25
PLEADS FOR A MONOPOLY OF
THE TELEPHONE BUSINESS

as nothing to the great loss of pres
tige that would be sustained through
out the state unless his company
would be able "to control the situa-
tion" in its home city. Two years
ago be had been successful In borrow.
ing $3.50, 900 with which to extend the
lines. The first questions asked by
the investing capitalists was whether
the prospective lines had exclusive
territory in which to operate. The
company was now trying to raise an
other loan of $3.50 600, and how could
it hope to be successful in convincing
the outside capitalists that it could
control other territory and other towns
If it could not control it's home city.
The capitalization of the company is
$3.50, 900, fifty one percent of which is
held by home parties. During the
year last past the Minnesota Central
had spent Sl2, 369 90 and the Willmar
Exchange So, 1874 in the city, sl,005 of
which was for postage. This big busi-
ness was now jeopardized by threat
ened competition. The telephone busi-
ness was peculiar business" 1t
must be pushed forward all the time,
or it would go backwards. Mr.. Tall
man read q list of the cities on the
Fergus Falls line and elsewhere that
had refused the Tri- state company ad-
mission. Read newspaper extracts
from New Ulm paper, citing inter-
views of local business men who were
in favor Of excluding competition be-
cause some of the townspeople owned
stock in the Minnesota Central. Pro-
duced maps to show that the Tri. State
people did not know their business in
choosing their route to Grand Forks
via Willmar. If the new company
was out cunning for the Bell monop-
| oily, why did it not choose the route
where there were the most Bell ex.
| changes. He said that there was no
promise of reduced rates from the
competing line. That Tallman's COM
pany either owned or had exclusive
long term contracts with all the ex-
changes west of Litchfeld and that
none of these would be permitted to
connect with the Independent long
distance line. The same was true of
all the farmers lines. Therefore the
new line could get no business from
these. The local long distance tolls
amount to less than &25 4 month at
Willmar. Therefore the competing
line could hope for no. paying bnsi-
ness from this source, as no business
man would care to leave his Office and
go to an outside booth If he could
avoid it. Mr.. Tallman took up the
editorial contained in the last issue
OF the W1LLMAR TRIBUNE, sneeringly
referred to the editor as man who is
wholly unreliable, and proceeded to
read the editorial sentence by SEN
tence, denouncing as wholly false
nearly every assertion made. He de-
clared the paper had no authority for
the statement that rates would be low
cred by the new company, de6ed it to
name . single exchange west OF Litch-
field that would connect with the new
line, de6ed it to mention a single
farmers line that was dissatisfied with
the present service, or desired new
connections, or could secure such con-
nections for several years even if they
wanted them. He read two letters
from officials OF farmers lines which
declared that connections and treat.
ment had been all that could be de.
sired. He finally attacked the credit
and solvency of the new company,
among other things stating that they
had not paid the freight on the poles
sent to this point. Mr.. Tallman spoke
for nearly an hour.
Mr.. Kast next had the floor and
stated that the Tri-State company had