The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-03-14
THEY ARE BUSY.
Bell Telephone Company After
Local Exchanges.
Making Strenuous Efforts to Get
Small Towns.
PANKEY LAUGHS AT 1T.
Says Bell Is Making Bluff to
Scare Owners.
Purchases Are All Very Well
Advertised.

Vast sums of money are being ex-
pended at the present time by the
Bell Telephone company in an effort
which seems to haze for its object the
IL 0nOpoIization Of the telephone hpsi-
ness of Kansas.
According to reports which are
coming in at the Office of the state
auditor. a large number Of independ-
ent telephone companies throughout
the state have been purcnased by the
bel company during the past year. 1t
is impossible to give a complete list Of
all the companies which have sold out
to the Bell, but here are some of
them:
Dosbaugh Telephone company,
Cedarvale.
Hull Telephone company, Neodesha.
Sabetha Telephone company, Sa-
betha.
Williamsburg Telephone company,
Williamsburg.
Council Grove Telephone company.
Council Grove.
Eureka Telephone company,
Eureka.
Erie, st. Paul and Stark Telephone
company, Erie.
When the Bell company has been
unable to negotiate q purchase of an
existing telephone company, it has
when possible, secured a franchise to
put IN new plant of it's own A fight
OF this kind is going on down in Par
sons at this time. The independent
/ telephone company holds the field. and
refuses to sell out 10 the Bell. as it is
in an agreement with the feIenbo0e
companies at Pitesb .lrc. Osweet. and
Chetopa to stand together against tho.
eEcroaehments Of the Fell people.
w the Bell people are trying to xet
the city council At Parsons ~ Grant
them a franchise. and offer 20 pay Il
/ Eonus to the city af about SIS per
mcnth for the franchise. This is ut
the rate Of $500 q ear. or $4,000 for
80 year franchise which shows TO
certain extent tie valua OF such a
franchise. Tt IS tIountf.ll whether the
P11s sons city council VIII take this kait.
4 hard fight Is being made to seer
the Ben company out Of the city.
FRYING to Freeze oUE Independents.
The Indications anz that f57a 4se1l
company IS trying to work the same
game IN Kansas Wz1ich is worked to Sc
cure control Of the field In Missouri.
Ii is going about buying up local ex-
changes. Many of these local exchanges
are now connected with Independent
long distance lines. The Bell comDanv
will allow this arrangement to continue
until such time as it has secured a
strong grip on a given territory 1t will
then put in its own toll line harness Up
its system of local exchanges, and put
the Independent lines out Of business
in that locality.
In Topeka the Independent concern
came into such instant favor by giving
superior service that It outdistanced the
Bell on local business. But the long
distance business, which is one of the
most profitable parts Of the telephone
business, has been rather an uphill pro-
position for the Independent. 1t has
only recently been able to reach out
much into the state, and this has been
+ accomplished by means Of a sort Of co
operative action on the part of other in
+ dependent telephone owners, who have
/ connected their exchanges with trunk
lines built by an independent concern.
/ It has also secured a excellent toll ser
vice to Kansas City.
Now If the Bell company can step in
and buy up a lot of these independent
/ exchanges, they may be able to put
/ the Independent toll lines out Of bust
ness and thus seriously affect the value
Of all the remaining local Independent
exchanges. The local exchanges may
be shut Off from doing any long dis
tance business, and people in selecting
a telephone for home Cse will incline
to the one which can afford out OF
town connections.
Panlyey Says Tt Is a Bluff.
r r. Panlxev. owner of the Topeka
Independent Telephone comp any, which
/ is the biggest and strongest independent
company in the state, said this morn
ing: ~, .,a
are making about buying up local ex-
+ changes is all bluff. It is their last
F desperate effort to make good front,
and keep things going. They can [
! control the long distance business OF
the state in any such way. The effect
of their action viii simply be the con-
struction of Independent telephone eX-
changes in these towns which they
have occupied.
1.-THE Bell company is making a big
talk about buying up exchanges, be
cause It wants to make it appear that
1t is going to sweep the state. It wants
to scare the owners of some of these
little exchanges Every time small
exchange is purchased by the Bell, I
see three or four different items about
It in the papers. As a general thing,
the exchanges which the Bell com pany
buys are mere junk. and very ex-
pensive of maintenance"
Bel Pays Big Prices.
It seems that the Bell company is
! willing to pay big prices to get control
of the exchanges in the small towns OF
the state It is said that the Erie ex-
change, which was put in d few years
ago by a company having about $4,000
capital was sold to the Bell for S19.-
06o. The Erie exchange was put into a
position where it was almost necessary
for it to sell. The Bell company had
obtained control Of its toll line con-
Injections. and might have shut Erie off
from outside connections.
The Eureka exchange, which has al
ways been a money making propOsi-
ton. was recently purchased, and tbs
general understanding is that the own
ers made big thing on the deal.
John NJ. Tennent Arrested.