The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-08-04
1H[ DAKOTA CENTRAL
A Word Concerning Its Attitude
Toward Independent Tele-
phone Companies
President ZietIOw Relates Some
Legislative History Concern
ing Farmers Lines

President Zietlow of the Dakot;
Central Telephone line is quite EN-
phatically of the opinion that a state
ment contained in this paper last
week was unfair to him and his com
pany. The statement was as follows
cit should not be forgotten thai
both the Groton company and the
Hecla company have been denied con
nections with the Dakota Genital"
"The claim that the Dakota Contra
had refused connection with these
lines is absolutely false" declared Mr.,
Zietlow to a representative of this
paper. "On the contrary, before the
Groton company had any line to con
meet with / offered to connect with
their line for Is cents per month pei
subscriber, in or out of Groton, which
would scarcely pay the girl to handle
the connections. Or l would furnish
Instruments and keep them in repair
for SO cents per month. Further, that
out of lis independent lines in this
state our company has granted con-
nections to every one but four, and
they could have had connection if
they had wanted it,"
Mr.. Zietlow further said, "a meet
ing of representatives of independent
lines was held in Sioux Falls last
January, when the legislature was in
session, l was present and took part
in It's proceedings. While this meet
ing was in progress word came that a
bill had been introduced to compel
one company to make connections
with another when requested. When
the question as to what action the
meeting should take in regard to the
pending bill arose, M n seemed in
clined to speak, and after a silence of
several minutes I got up and, in ans
wer to the direct question what 1 in
tended to do, said that 1 was willing
to let the bill become a law. giving
briefly my idea of the proposition.
~. A. Stennager of Parker arose
when I concluded speaking, and ex-
pressed himself as surprised at the
attitude taken by the president of
the Dakota Central and hoped that l
would see fit to reconsider my deter
mination not to oppose this measure.
The Dakota Central, he said, might
stand it but to his company it meant
virtual contscation. Many others
from various parts of the state follow
ed, all speaking in the same strain.
"Finally Percy Crothers of Hetland,
K%ingsbury county, who had come to
the meeting on purpose to secure an
endorsement by this meeting of this
measure, got up and said that he felt
compelled to change his attitude in
regard to the bill, and would join the
others in opposition to it. Mr..
Crothers was then made chairman of
a committee to 60 to Pierre and fight
the measure. l did then. quite ma
turally, join with the general opposi-
tion to the bill, and aided some, pre-
haps, in preventing it's passage. Time
has convinced me that the bill was
impracticable, anyway. When asked
as to franks, Mr.. Zietlow said: 81
never nor any of my company APP
preached an alderman of any city or
public official in this state, with a
purpose of securing a vote with franks
or other inducements. The farmers
lines have a mission of their own, and
we will not only not interfere with
them but stand ready to connect with
them or any reasonable terms"
II want to say in conclusion that
this company is at least entitled to
fair treatment. With practically no
extentions being made this year we
have expended 100000 in improve
ments, to make the service better to
our patrons. 1t is a matter of con-
siderable satisfaction to know that
our system has found admirers abroad.
At the last national meeting of tele-
phone managers the fact was men,
TONED by one well versed in tele-
phone matters that the Dakota Cen
trail by reason of its admirable system
and cheap and efficient service was
attracting national attention and he
further said that South Dakota has
the most practical system of any
state in the Union, and Texas comes
Wedding Bells