The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-12-06
Central Union Company Goes
BusiIy Ahead with Improve
mentS While the Home Com
pany Does the Same.
MANAGER HUTTON SAYS HE
HAS NOT HEARD OF SALE
Declares His Company is Pc
pairing to Do Four Times the
Business 1t Now Has
What Independents Say.

Because of the great activity of the
Central Union Telephone Company
in the work of constructing its new
system and because of its apparent
disregard for increased patronage
quite recently, the rumor again has
gained considerable circulation and
credence in some quarters, that the
Central Union has been laying it's
plans to capture the Home Company
at the completion of the latter's plant.
When it become known that the Cen
tral Union had for the present at
least, abandoned the project of err
ecting a new headquarters building
on North 10th street on plot OF
ground purchased some months ago,
the theory that the big corporation
was laying it's plans to SWEEP the
platter and eliminate the fierce COM
petition threatened, was strengthen
ed
There apparently was still another
bit of evidence that indicated the .fu-
ture plans of the Central Union for
prospective subscribers to the phones
' of that company have recently been
put off, when making application
/ for a phone They were told that ser
vice could not be furnished them
.just now" but that the matter would
/ be taken up with the main office and
as soon as possible the applicant
would be informed as to the7decision.
Indicates a Fierce Fight.
A closer investigation of the situa-
tion just now, however, indicates
that though it is lil1ely the Central
Union would not mind buying out the
Home Company if the opportunity
presented. there Is instead to be a
fierce fight for telephone patronage
waged before the robins return from
the South. The Central Union COM
pany denies that it has been putting
off patrons because of any prospec-
tive merger or purchase, but declares
that the reason has been due to the
inability of the force of men at work
reconstructing the entire overhead
system in the city. to devote any OF
their attention to the extension of in
dividual phone lines. the big cables or
trunk cables occupying their en-
tire attention. Manager b. Hutton OF
the Central Union said last night that
the company's new switch boards
have arrived and that they will be
placed in the Odd Fellows building
in the quarters already occupied, The
cables have been built into this Office
and within the next month or so Mr..
Hutton said. the company would be
able to care for an almost unlimited
patronage. With the patrons now
awaiting service. ii was stated. and
who will be supplied with <sphones
shortly. the Central Union will have
four times the number of subscribers
now on the books.
In the meantime the Home. Tele-
phone Company is saving good
deal of wood" but is not saying much
because of lack of time or inclination.
The company members are not worry |
ing over threatened competition of
fierce sort that the Central Union
the corporation would sell to the Cen
trail Union, the officers have always |
maintained they are preparing for |
business which awaits them and have |
nothing else in view That the Home |
Company is to have one of the model |
plants in the country is admitted on |
all sides. There are many persons, |
however. who still cling to the opin-
ion that before the war is over"
there will be some sort of compro-
mise and it will mean that the Gen.
trail Union has purchased the Inde-
pendent concern.