Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1905-10-19

West California and Washington
particularly very remarkable de
velopment has taken place during
the past two years. Southern Cali.
fornia has been completely developed
by the Independents. In Los Anqe.
les they have over $1,000 telephones
in service and are growing at a ire
mendous rate. Sacramento, the old.
dest independent exchange on the
coast, has $500 telephones. The
Astoria, Ore, exchange has been re.
Gently completed, also a fine ex-
change at Seattle, WASH. with $500
telephones in service.
The indications are that California.
the heretofore famous stronghold of
the Bell interest will within very
short time pass into the control of
the Independents, and thus be for
ever freed from the Bell domination.
with its high rates and poor service.
! AS the result of the twenty-five
years history of the Bell movement
it has only one and three-quarters
millions of telephones now in use by
its exchange subscribers in the Unit
ed States. The result of the nine
years of the Independent movement
shows two million telephones in SER
vice. Of the $50 cities having over
$4,000 inhabitants, according to the
last consult, rs per cent. now have
Independent exchanges in operation.
The result referred to may be more
clearly seen by the following com
parison.
Without competition and during
the period of over fifteen years. up
to the year 1895. the Bell companies
had 243, 432 subscribers; since that
period and up to the present time,
covering nine years, the Bell comp
anies have had exceedingly sharp and
successful competition. During
these ten years they have, with
most extraordinary expenditure of
money and effort las result of
competition) succeeded in increasing |
their telephones by million and
quarter.
During the last nine years the
Independents without previous ex-
perience, with far less expenditure.
have put into service 1000, 900 tele-
phones!
In conclusion, l wish briefly to
refer to the very satisfactory finan-
cal su ccess of this movement. Few,
indeed have been the number of fail
lres among the 5000 Independent
The Bell Company has
compiled and widely advertised its
'ecord of these failures, numbering
ess than a score!
In the United States there are {,
70 National and Savings banks
Worlds Almanac, 1904. 1t isl
.laimed, and l believe properly so,
hat the number of these bank fail
Tres, during each of the past five
-ears, has exceeded the number of |
telephone companies that have failed
Turing that entire period. no other
lass of business can make such a
splendid showing, and no other bnsi-
less is of greater permanency or in
greater demand in both the coramer-
,ial or social world.
The cities of Boston,, New York,
Washington, New Orleans, Cinein-
lati, Milwaukee, and San Francisco
are the only cities having more than
100000 population in which tele-
phone competition has not been es-
tablished. Each of the cities just
named has local Bell licensee comp
any, which at present is very pros
porous. Other licensee Bell comp
anies have ceased paying dividends,
and are understood to be in unsatis-
factory financial concition.
The various licen sees or operating
companies ofthe American Bell were
years ago, and before
competition existed resulting mower
under present condi-
tions. 1t seems certain that these
companies, as a rule, cannot continue
to pay interest on their securities,
and also the'royaltis to the American
& Telegraph Company.
The policy of the American Tele-
phone & Telegraph Company may
possibly be foreshadowed as to
its subordinate companies in
tba racanf foil11ra forac1ocura eo1a /