Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-05-23
/TELEPHON .QUESTlO !.


u. It might have been supposed
that when Mr.. Tallman retired
from the telephone business to
give his time to other pursuits,
he would no longer be under OBJ.
legations to, furnish long editor
ials to the Gazette in the interest
Of the telephone 10 nopoly. :Al
couple of months ago, when the
attack upon the city plant was
begun the TRIBUNE stated it's
belief that the attack was simply
to discredit the idea of public
ownership as far as possible in
ord e to prejudice the public
mind against acquiring the tele-
phone franchise. We now sub,
nit if the attitude Of the Gazette
does not prove that we we're
right.
The Gazette first falsely as.
sumes that the city would take
the property at an inflated. valua-
ton, and that therefore the pub
lie ownership idea was for the
purpose of footing the. city,"
The very section of the law which
gives the city the right to acquire
the property (Sec. 2843) express
ly states how the value shall be
determined and the TRIBUNE
dare say that when the appraisal
will be made for the City of Will
mar the article in the last issue
of the Gazette will be interesting
reading to the appraisers. Note
this sentence:
ut is true, however, that only 81, 500
was put in at that time in actual cash,
and the Gazette believes that the pres
ent value OF the plant is worth but lit
tie more, if any, than the original in
vestment, owing to the fact that the
plant will be practically discarded"
etc.
Fault is found with the state
ment in the TR1RI1NE that tho
company claimed assets in the
neighborhood of SIS, 900. AS this
was claimed as the net assets in
a statement recently furnished
to the stockholders of the COM
pany we do not see how the TR1-
BUNE is to be blamed for misre-
presenting facts. The Gazette
claims that the. book-keeper for
the telephone company does not
understand how to keep books,
as he has not charged to depreci-
alton sum each year equal to all
improvements made. If the
company's book-keeper did not
know his business and the Of
fcers lied to the stockholders,
pray how was the TRIBUNE to
know? But no doubt the sug-
gestion "that plant should be
valued at what it is worth and
not what it cost" is a good one
that will not be lost on the people
Of the city when they vote to take
and operate the telephone sys-
tenn.
The Gazette claims that tn e
net earnings Of the exchange for
the last year would "dwindle to
seven per cent, This means to
say that out of the $6,264:47
earnings in the last year, SIS, 1884,
AZ were required to operate and
maintain the system. Does the
Gazette think that the people are
fools to believe such a statement
as that? Do not bank too much
on the ''customary ignorance" of
the people. They will turn a
trick or two of their own before
long. -
The TRIBUNE did not state that
the local exchange had not paid
the gross earnings tax, but that
there was nothing in the pub
lished reports of the State Au-
ditor to show that it had been
paid. This was later explained
to us by the auditor as being due
to the fact that the reports of the
gross earnings were not received
in time to go in the printed re-
port. In our following issue,
which appeared on the day be
fore the Gazette article, we pub:
lished the gross earnings for the
last three years as received from
the auditor, yet we are charged
with unfairness in the matter. SIS Is
After having devoted M ore