The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-11-19

reviewed the history of the Marion
County Telephone company. He said
that the Bell company, when it con-
trolled the telephone situation in
Marion, imposed on the citizenship.
Conditions became so obnoxious to
the people that the Marion County
company was finally organized and
the council at that time was con-
WINGED that competition was the
thing to furnish relief. For time
following the organization of the
Marion County company. the people
were furnished better, service, but
llately conditions have changed, said
IlAIr. Mouser. He said there seems to
have been merger between the Ma
rion County and Bell companies and
conditions now are the same as those
which existed when the Bell held full
lsway.
! III the argument in favor Of new
company was good when competition
against. the Bell was thought desirable
the same argument is good now," said
Mr.. Mouser. "The people say that
VHt NIdTlOu SOuIly INOllDdby
broken It's pledge in order that the
stockholders of the company might
be remunerated.
Mr.. Mouser said that no harm
could be done by allowing a compet-
ing company to enter the field and
II is almos. certain that the people
would be benefited. He said that
he Is frank in declaring that at least
60 per cent. of the people OF the
county are crying for a new telephone
company.
The new company would be q
home concern, Mr.. Mouser said,
with practically all Marion county
capital invested. He said that Mr.
Critchfield. the prime mover, Is a
self-made man, wealthy, and one Of
the best telephone men in the United
States. He Is now president of the
, Milwaukee Independent Telephone
, company.
Mr.. Cutlery came back with a
} determined argument. He said that
he had not come to the meeting to
talk on the, telephone business but
: was ready to argue with the gentle
, men who represent the new com
: pany.
II most heartily concur with the
! gentlemen who have just spoken In
l urging the council to give this matter
their most careful and earnest con-
5 sideration," said Mr.. CUTLERY. He de-
: MED that there has been any "merg
l er" with the Bell company and sait
= that anyone who desires to satisfy
! himself on this point may examine
: the books of the company.
Mr.. CUTLERY said that not dollar
: of stock in the Marion County Tele'
/ phone company is owned by the Bel
D company, the fact of the matter be-
2 ing that not to exceed $4,000 of out.
. side capital is invested.
1T has been said that the service
l of the company is very bad" said
+. Mr.. CUTLERY. 1t is true that fol
[ six months, until about two weeks
{. ago, the service was not what il
I ought to be. The reason was tina,
5 we could not employ girls for oper,
, Iatlng the exchange at the money We
We're then able to pay. October
, we raised the pay of the girls q
, per cent. and now we are able to
{ lgive the best Of service"
lit has been said that certain prom
ises have been made and broken,
, continued Mr.. Cutlery. when the
, Marion County company was organ
lied five years ago, there were in
: existence in Marion county not to
exceed LILO telephones. There are
now in Marion county almost If not
more than 5000 phones. At that
time there was not single line run
ming out of Marion aside from the
Bell long distance line. Today there
are more than 300 phones around
Marion which are furnished service
anywhere in the city or county. The
Bell company, at the time 1t held the
field here, refused to furnish phones
when the people offered to pay for
Them"
Mr.. CUTLERY declared that there is
not a telephone company In existence
which can place phones outside of
the city and exist on a rental of 81. 30
a month 'for each phone. He said
that during the past few weeks the
cost of operating the Marion Coun-
ty company's lines outside the city
has amounted to 79 per cent. of the
Income, while the cost of those with
in the city has been 35 per cent.
lof the income. skaT P3,3e M
you will see from this that every
thing Is not profit In the telephone
business. said Mr., CUTLERY. ut
is difficult to make people understand
that the larger the telephone plant
1.-THE greater the proportionate cost to
Ioperate It. ~r
Mr. CUTLERY went on to explain
that the Marion County Telephone
company has the multiple board sys-
tenn in use at its exchange and that
as the number OF subscribers in
creases the proportionate cost of op-
GRAFTON grows. AS long as the tele-
phones are within the radius of a
half mile of the exchange. the cost
of operation is low. but when the