Omaha daily bee., 1906-02-28
INDEPENDENTS HAVE INNING
Small Telephone Owners Present Their Case
to the Commercial Club.
ASKED TO ACT ON BELLS PROPOSITION
club Requests Them to submit
written Answer to Proposal
Made by the Nebraska
Company.

The independent telephone interests of
the state had their inning before the board
of directors of the Commercial club yester-
/ day afternoon. Two weeks ago the Ne
/ braska Telephone companys end of the
controversy about Omaha connection with
the independent toll lines wa. heard
/ The Independent people came In force
/ from both Iowa and Nebraska, having pres
! ent about thirty officers. stockholders and
| representatives. Tho discussion began about
1880 and ended about 3:i5. No decisive ac-
! ton was taken by the board beyond re-
aucstng the independent people to submit
In writing a reply to the proposition offered
by tho Nebraska company for interchange
OF business.
I +. II. Woods OF Lincoln. president of the
Nebraska Independent Telephone associa-
tlon. who led the talking. admitted early
that the independent companies did want
a franchise i'm Omaha because connection
! for them with this city was out of the
question unless such a grant was secured.
Assertions made by officers of the Nebraska
! Telephone company that the independent
concerns Of the state signed an agreement
at Hastings last November to boycott the
! former and refuse 10 interchange business
he denied with emphasis He also denounced
officers of the Nebraska company.
Most Of the speakers took the position
that an interchange agreement between the
Independent companies and the Bell inter-
ests is impossible and out of the question.
Harsh things we're said about the city coun-
| Gil of Omaha and much emphasis placed
upon the business and prestige which
Omaha is alleged to be losing to competing
cities because 1t has no connection with the
| Independent telephones in the tributary
country. Mayor Henry r. Gering of Platts-
mouth scored the Omaha Commercial club
prior to the last two years and said that
until then Omaha had developed in spite OF
itself.
c. NJ. Wilhelm took exception to :he
reflections upon the achievements OF the
club and said II had accomplished some-
thing for Omaha during every one of the
thirteen years which he had been a men,
Der.
RetOrt by Gering.
II am willing to grant that" said Mayor
Gering. you have done considerable.
You built the Auditorium-but you haven't
quite finished it, 1t may be there are
things left undone and not quite finished
besides that"
Mr.. Woods presented figures to show that
there are $3.50 independent telephones in
the country surrounding Omaha. This
total was reached by adding 1874 for the
South Platte country. 10000 for the North
Platte country. 5000 for Kansas. 100000 for
Iowa, $1,000 for Minnesota and 10000 for
Missouri. In the South Platte country
east of McCook and including the counties
bordering on the north bank of the Platte.
he said. 49, 7N telephones were operated by
the independent companies, against l3Sn
by the Bell concern, and in this territory
were only $50 instruments representing
sub-licencees OF the Bell company. He
said the independent people now had four
telephones in to one by the Bell peo-
pie. In Lincoln. he said, the figures were
! 1913 for the independent against 1901 for
the Nebraska company, and in Lancaster
county, 1872 against 4023.
Questioned as to reasons why the propo-
sition of the Nebraska Telephone company
to buy, sell or consolidate exchanges at
competing points as a requisite to entering
into an agreement on toll line business
have not been taken up Mr.. Woods said,
this proposition had a string to IT to the
effect that all toll line business be turned
over to the Bell company.
He said 5000 Nebraskans had invested
something like 100000 in the independent
organizations, which II broken UP would
become the creatures OF a monopoly.
As to Dual system.
! In Lincoln there are but 7S4 duplicate
phones and GO of these are in business
houses" said Mr.. Woods. THE majority
of business men who have tried it know
that two Instruments are not a nuisance.
! Fred Ashton OF Grand Island, who was
secretary at the Hastings meeting of In
! dependent telephone companies. said that
| the boycott pact, or refusal TO exchange
business with the Bell companies, upon
which the officers of the Nebraska Tele-
phone company had dilated. was never
adopted by the. meeting in any way, but
merely was mentioned In paper read
there.
J. L. Baum of the Bennett company said
II the matter had been presented TO the
Commercial club as general understand
ing among the independent companies of
the state the club had been grossly in
suited by the officers OF the Nebraska Tele-
phone company. He said IL the council
could be induced TO let the people of Omaha
vote on an independent franchise PROPOSE
ton II would be one of the best things that
ever happened TO Omaha
! j. A. Carpenter of the Carpenter Paper
company's house in Kansas City. said the
dual system had been tried there and that
he now favored il.
Euclid Martin proposed a reply to the
proposition of the Nebraska company in
writing, and his motion carried after some
further discussion.
Men al the Meeting.
Following is nearly complete list of the
independent telephone men who attended
the meeting:
l. D. Clark OF Papillion. W. o. S. Clapp OF
I[earncy, Fred Ashton of Grand Island,
SDalpr of Hastings. senator DlmpTN OF
Beaver Crossing, Keller of Hastings, Cock
rell OF Sioux City, I. H. Pollock of Platts-
mouth, c. Vail of Arlington, II. Palmer of
Grand Island c. l.. Jensen Of Hot Springs.
s. D., Tom Parmelee Of Plattsmouth, Car
los of Hastings. w. T.. Bell Of York. Will
son OF Fremont, &. ]. Garlaw of Columbus
n nnL, Of David CIV z. Il Woods of