Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1906-05-04
GRANTS PASS LEADS
IN TELEPHONE SERVICE
First to Have Central Energy Sys-
tem-Automatics Will be
Next Improvement.

The undertaking to secure a COM
plete telephone system for Josephine
county with free switching with
Grants Pass has been given setback
by the Pacific States Telephone Com.
pany. This company could have had
its income from telephone rentals and
long distance business in Josephine
county increased by fully $1,000 q
month by the close Of the year had
General Manager Thatcher and County
Manager Oium been more broad and
business-like in their methods. but
carrying out the modern corporation
methods of greed and monopoly they
succeeded in checking the progressive
movement that would have benefited
their company quite as much as it
would have the business men Of
Grants Pass and the farmers, miners
and millmen Of Josephine county.
The fact 10 that this movement
started by the Courier for betterment
Of the telephone service in Josephine
county has forced the Pacific States
Telephone Company to give Grants
Pass the central energy system, which
will be q decided improvement over
the present system, but not the equal
to the automatic system in efficiency
or cheapness. All that the central
energy system differs from the present
Bell system is that no bells ring on
line except that of the phone called.
and there is no bell ringing to call
central. Grants Pass is the only town
in Southern Oregon that will have the
ceutral energy system and there are
but few towns ON the Pacific Coast Of
5000 population or less that have been
given this bettermsnt by the Bell
Telepone Company.
Instead OF getting the business from
score or more Of rural telepone lines
in the county the Pacific States Tele-
phone Company through their greed
will really come out the loser by the
telephone controversy that they
brought on for they will get only one
small line out of Grants Pass to the
Lee district having half dozen
telephones on it. The Applegste Val
ley Telephone Company will not lease
the Williams line from the Pacific
States Company as the latter's terms
are too exacting. they demanding a
five year lease and the payment of the
taxes which would be about $l2 q year
and the return of the line in as good
condition as when taken. AS the
poles are badly dsoayed the entire
line Of 30 miles would require new
poles before the FIVE years would bs
up thus making the undertaking too
expensive to those holding the lease
The Appleeate farmers will not give
up their telephone venture but will
this Summer build an independent
line to Grants Pass. Aud it is the
plan to establish an independent sys-
tenn in the Illinois Valley and connect
1t with the 'Applegate Valley lines
and thence to Grants Pass A local
station will be established in Grants
Pass for the free use Of the public.
With the installation Of the Automatic
telephone system in Grants Pass.
which is expected within the year,
connection will be made with 1t by
the rural lines and the beginning
made Tor . system Of telephones for
the entire county giving free switch
ing to all subscribers.
Josephine county is not the only
locality in which this Pacific States
Telephone Company tries to hog the
whole thing. That company now has
an injunction suit on In Albany to
prevent local company from install.
ing the automatic telephones. Only
last month the Pacific States Company
had suit in Salem to keep out local
automatic company and lost it.
They tried to block the company now
putting m automatic system In Port.
land, aud the Applesate farmers when
they attempt to run an independents
line into Grants Pass will quite likely
encounter an injunction suit as will the
Automatic company when thsy enter
this field, for the Bell Company claim
vested rights BY the perpetual fran
ohise they have in Grants Pass and
In most other towns where they have
. telephone franchise. A series Of
articles lately appearing in the Sue.
cess magazine on the telephone bust.
ness in the United States gives clear
insight into the desperate efforts the
Bell Company is making all over the
country to retain its telephone mo-
nopoly by resorting to injunctions
and every other method known to IN.
scrupulous corporations. But despite
this bitter opposition hundreds of
towns and cities are putting in auto
matte and other independent tele-