The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1905-04-12
The Telephone Company FIRE.
quentIy 0yerloads Lines.
ITS STATEMENT TO CITY.
Provides That Business and Residence
Lines Should Have Same Number Of
Parties on Each How Ser
vice Is Abused.

The matter of overloaded telephone
lines in Barre, which was raised at the
meeting of the Merchants Association
the other evening, recalls the fact that
the Vermont Telephone Co., through its
president, filed written statement with
the city April 25, 1901, as to what rates
and service were to be maintained in
Barre for the succeeding five years. This
statement Is as follows:
Complying with the request Of your
Finance Committee, that this company
file with the clerk of your city written
statement relative to future rates for
telephone exchange service to be main
tanned in Barre, this company agrees
that all existing regularly established
rates for exchange service at the Barre
exchange will not be increased during
the term of five years from the date
thereof, including; The business rate
Of $25 per annum with unlimited SER
vice, long distance transmitters, and me-
tallic circuit, and q residence rate of
SIS per annurn, with like service and
equipment. Neither viii any of the
free service privileges now existing in
said exchange be abridged, during the
period of five years from date hereof.
And that service at the present state
of efficiency will be maintained at said
exchange
This is signed by Joseph n. Kider
as president Of the Vermont Telephone
Co., and also as general manager Of the
New England Telephone Co., and dated
April 20, 1901.
This statement was accepted by the
city council, making it an agreement.
The company made the offer for the
purpose Of heading off the Washington
County Telephone company, which had
previously secured charter from the
legislature and was preparing to do bust
ness in Barre. The business rate Of
$25 was then and is now for six
party line, and it was understood and
talked by both telephone and city Off
cials that the residence rate of SIS was
also for sixparty line and to provide
for this the telephone company put in
the agreement, and residence rate Of
SlS per annum, with like service and
equipment"
That this agreement has been violated
by the telephone company il clearly evil
dent. In many cases where complaint
has been made to the company that
lines were being overloaded a change
has been made, and the Times knows
of one case where party complained
that the line was overloaded and the
trouble was not remedied for three
months after, he refused to pay for
the service for that period and the bill
ws cancelled by the company. If the
company did not know it had violated
its agreement why didn't ii collect2
If the merchants call the company's
attention to this agreement it win un-
doubtedly repair the overlooking Of lines
as quickly as possible by reducing the
number on each to six subscribers.
There Is another side to the story
that makes matter of telephone com
munication in Barre so difficult at the
present time. Many persons use SO
minutes on a call that business men are
often compelled TO wait from is to
30 minutes. a prominent granite manu-
facturer and quarry owner, talking to
a Times reporter today, told of an n
cuSHt thstt haPpeheu 70 htm ApOuF Ten
days ago. He was at the quarries and
from 27-11 tried to ring up central.
Two ladies were visiting over the line.
He tried again a little later, and kept
trying at intervals for 25 minutes. Each
time the same two were talking. Once
when he called he was told by one of
the ladies to keep off the line, they were
paying for it. Finally, after 25 min.
utes' effort the manufacturer secured
telephone connection with his office in
Barre.
Another citizen once this spring wait
ed As minutes to get another mans
house, each time he called central be-
ing informed the line was busy I'll
nally he gave it up and went out AMI
called at the mans house.