Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1906-04-26
TELEPHONE MATTERS.
Two Competing Lines Argue Their
Case at Public MEETING.


siderable number of citizens were presen
TO hear what the representatives of tn,
various lines, present and prospective. haf
TO say. ii. II. Cushman called the meetinl
to order. George l.. Greeley was ehosef
Chairman. Mr.. Cushman stated that ,
meeting was held few evenings since. a
which one side of the question was dis.
eussed. II is desirable that AT parties b,
heard and for that purpose this meeting Il
Mr., Davis Of Middlebury, representing
the New England Telephone and Tele.
graph lines, said that company had M
direct interest in the line represented by
Mr. Hszen. Ii has an arrangement with
him by which his line has access to 22f
stations OF the New England Co, and
through allied lines, to 5000 others. A
man with money invested in a locality, a.
Mr.. Hazen has here, has certain rights
He is here and should be able to show his
priority. The New England Co. is anxious
for the Development of the business and
especially for the development OF the tolls
Il is said that competition is a good
thing. This IS not true OF the telephone
business. Ii is not in any business to so
great an extent as Is supposed. Suppose
you have two telephone systems here.
Some will use one, some the other. Two
telephone systems divide the people as
does the river. Those whose business re-
quire that they should reach all the people
must use both phones at a greatly in
creased expense. / cite Philadelphia as an
instance. Out OF 100 q OF telephone users,
81 e use the Bell telephone; 6 q use indie.
pendent lines. This has compelled Is g
to use both phones. The rate that Mr..
Haz n proposeh-sl2 years. exceedingly
low. IL is as lo~ as metallic service can
be afforded. They propose to furnish you
with a ground line service. The ground
line is all right under certain circum.
stances. Its limit IS not large. Fifteen
miles Is about as far as il will do practical
work. This proposition involves an ex-
peuso OF from so to $50 TO each snbsc iber.
The life Of hemlock and spruce poles does
not exceed seven or eight years. All this
time you will have been deprived OF long
distance service, and at last will have only
a mass OF deteriorated material.
G.. A. Clough of East Braintree, rep
resenting the Peoples line, said that they
had come here because there was a want
for more telephone facilities. Randolph
Brain rec aid other towns using the inde-
pendent lines, are getting good service.
Mr.. Clough read a testimonial from BUSH
ness and professional men at Randolph,
saying that the local telephone "was
great convenience. II saves much travel,
which is especially important In a time OF
bad weather or bad travelling. We should
hardly know how to get along without it,
Mr.. Cough said that be got all the sigma
lures within an hour, ON that very day,
and that not a man demurred. They said
"You have not put il strong enough" He
could do the same thing in Bethel.
Mr.. Clough said that In some places the
New England Co. charged sl2 year, and
in others SIS, sls and even 81.
Mr.. Davis replied that in the latter cases
they gave more territory.
Mr.. Clough, continuing, said that, when
occasion required, the Independent lines
could pat in me allie service. To the OBJ
lection that electric ligh are de riment
to the ground lines, since an electric dis
turbance in one place permeates the whole
system, he replied that Randolph has cleo
trio lights, but they are doing business,
with the ground service satisfactorily.
Right in the village the lines are metallic
AT this point Mr.. Hazen said. I'VE can
not do business in While River Junction
without metallic service
Mr.. Ciough said further that the people
OF Rochester and vic nifty could afford 10
have two lines better than they could afford
he New England, il there were no COM
petition. We do not dispute that they
can give better long distance service; but
l5 s. OF the business is local. II is intended
to put in wire for business aside from
the local service. Eaeh subscriber Is to
procure and set one half mile OF posts and
furnish the wire and other supplies. The
cost Sill vary in different plac 5. II the
farmer has the poles on MS place, i will
cost him perhaps so and IS for work. He
buys the Instrument for 80, which Is his
and pays g a year rental. II he
does not desire TO furnish the posts be may
purchase a share for go. buy his instru-
nent and pay g a year rental. II the sub
hrsN nd
he cost does not equal the amount paid,
The surplus goes into the treasury OF the
company. Our interest is to give good
service TO the people at nominal rates.
There would be free exchange with the
ines allied with the Orange County Tele-
phone Co.
II. II. Cushman said that as business
nan OF Rochester he was interested in the
telephone service. Two or three months
.go q proposition was preached for CO.
operative telephone. A meeting was held |
It the Rochester House. The people OF
Granville were the prime movers. They /
needed telephone line and thought they |
,ould have one. He did not approve OF |
company. He suggested
took company. which should be incor-
,orated: so much money and so much /
took. We don't want to be obliged TO /
,ut in two phones.
NJ. n. Hazen OF South Royalton, who
las purchased the Goodno line, said that
le wanted TO give a service equal TO any IN
Few England. He would like to have the
,eople try him for year. They are IN a
position to have things their own way.
The margin will be small at ~. lie
would need at least IS subscribers. Han
ock and Granville are not recorded any
where as having a telephone line. The
telephone is as important as the railroad.
The people who have cooperative phones
ONE to our New England lines and pay
or service. II we can do long distance
ervice. we can short. Although the bulk
4 the business is local, there must be long
distance service.
III. w. Miller said that he had promoted
Iuite a little, but had never received cent
or his labor. He wanted phone IN ms
Iouse. The more people he could interest
n the enterprise the better. The People
inc has no learned men here 10 argue rs
ase. If there was money in u, We could
ave them. We cannot pay them. There
I no need OF people hiring their tele-
,hopes when they can own them. The
lew England people are in i for all they
an get. II there is no opposition, they
I'M get large portion OF your money
Ne have over 1000 phones which viii De