The Topeka state journal., 1906-04-24
GREATER Topeka.
The Bell Telephone Company
Spending Large Sums Here.
Preparing for a Population of
$4,000 People.
TOPEKA THE CENTER
Of Thousands of Miles of DIverg-
ing Circuits.
Poles Abolished on Main Streets
--Nires Underground.
TOPEKA THE CENTER

'T see Topeka has set her standard
for $4,000 population said T. P. Mont
fort, special agent for the Missouri and
Kansas Telephone company, while in
Topeka today.
80 confident is my company that the
city VIII accomplish this it has under
taken campaign of Improvement that
will not cease till its system mere is
prepared to care for the business Of a
city OF that size.
When the announcement was made
a month ago of the intention to spend
at least $15O,OOO here all plans Cor the
work had been prepared and it was be
gun without delay. It now seems that
an expenditure Of more than the first
named amount may be required. If it
is it is ready for the Bell company has
faith in Topeka. The decision was not
exactly to spend $3.50, 900 here but to
make all the improvements and exten-
sions necessary to handle the local nd
long distance business of a city of 900.
1T is a business proposition and the
rapid increase in the company's patron
age assures 1t that the money is well
spent.
The first consideration in undertake
ing the improvements and extensions
is to provide the highest grade of local
service My company viii install, just
as soon as the factory completes It,
latest model central energy switch
board of $500 lines capacity. Such a
board can easily accommodate 10000
telephones. With such a board the
EFFICIENCY of the service viii be vastly
increased and there will be no swapping
or cracking noise in the ear OF the user
when connection is being made
Our outside equipment here is good
but not extensive enough and thousands
of feet of additional cable viii be strung
throughout the city, especially in the
case of North Topeka to which two I'M
nense cables carrying total Of 600 cir
cults will be run.
There has been some agitation here
against the poles and wires. This com
pany has no poles or wires on the man
streets and wherever possible in the res
fdence section is moving its poles to the
allevs. These are being painted to hide
their ugliness-
"a new board for handling the long
distance business will be installed at
the central Office when the work of
enlarging it is completed The pres
ent one has ben inadequate for some
time and since the com pany's redue-
ton in toll rates on April has been
especially 50.
mo pofnt on the Bell system derives
than Topeka. It is virtually the cen
ter of the company in Kansas. Thou
sands of miles of toll wire diverge
from here covering the whole state
like net and extending into the ter
ritories.
'Topeka's commercial interests and
the states political interests which
center here are most particularly in
terested in the long distance service
since they are the heaviest users Of
+-T -
proximately sixteen hundred toll sta
tions through Kansas and more than
three thousand in Missouri and KAN
sas. Connecting with the Pioneer
Telephone company, 1t covers just as
thoroughly the two territories.
Not only is long distance connec-
ton given to that many places ia
Kansas, but at many of them con
nection is given to hundreds of Offices
and residences; this through the fact
that the company operates local ex-
changes at those points.
Its exchanges in the state include
Topeka. Council Grove. Pittsburg.
wichita, Arkansas city, Winfield.
wellington, Anthony Harper. Fort
Scott, lola, Hutchinson, Coffeyville,
Caney. Sedan. Cedarvale. Valley Cen
ter, Atchison, Leavenworth. Law
renee. Eureka. Erie. Chanute, Gar
nett Sabetha. Newton, and a score or
more other important towns. In ad-
dition It has full service connection
with Salina. MCPHERSON. Florence.
Peabody, Marion, and other towns too
numerous to mention here
'Then aside from this is the line
Of sub-license companies throughout
the state. The thousands of sub
scribers to these can be reached di-
rectlv over our lines
What ] have said is not given as
bid for favor. but as a plain state
ment Of facts. This company is in
the field to furnish local and long dis
tance telephone service to Topeka and
to Kansas That is its business IT
wants the public to know 1t is keep
ing pace with the times"