The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-03-29
TELEPHONE HEARING
 STILL ON IN HARTFORD

(Continued from First Page.9
 The independent companies were started by the people themselves and as a rule were owned locally, and this meant that public interest aided in the development. There was a well devel- oped system of farmers telephones, so that to-day 12,OOO farmers in Michigan had telephones, and that surely meant Isomething. These farmers were getting service at about SIP a year. Every vil- llage and hamlet in Michigan had a tel ephone service, and the rate was SIP a year.
 Subscribers get only free service to those who are connected on the same exchange with them,
 In this state, the speaker said, there was unique situation. A rural sub scriber was cut out of the exchange he wanted to do business with, with the ostensible purpose of making him pay Twenty-Five cents to talk with someone he did do business with. In Michigan | 5000O telephones, half the entire num- Der, were owned by six or seven inde- lpendent companies, and there were 150 smaller companies known as mutual lcompanies. The independent companies I had developed all the territory through (which their lines passed in Michigan. Several of the independent companies had been absorbed by the Bell compa- lny, and in Michigan that was called "traitorism" to the state, for after the absorption the rates were raised.
 For nine years past the independent company to which he was attached had paid 8 per cent. year in cash dividends | to it's stockholders.
 | In Grand Rapids the Bell Telephone company had 4,751 telephones in 1S96 wIlen the independent company began to do business. It was found that as the subscribers increased the profits grew less owing to the cost of construc- tion. When the e-thousand-mark was reached 1t was found that, while the profits were not large, long-dis- tance circuit was in effect extending over 15O miles,
 l At this time 1t was found necessary, lowing to increased business to put in a new central system. After eight months investigation the automatic system was started in 1904 with 5,2OO Telephones. In 1904 the gain in sub scribers was 491; in 1905 the gain was $50, and in 1906 the gain was 1,151 As an illustration by way of comparison, the Bell Telephone company has gain ed but little over 100 in twenty-one months.
 MT Ware then told of the advantages of the automatic telephone over the manual system, and said with few ex- captions the people of Grand Rapids were entirely satisfied with the service of the automatic company. In Indiana, he said, there were 100000 independent telephones and 60,00O of the Bell com ,pany. In Ohio there was one city, Cin- cinnati, where there were no independ- ent telephones, but in the state there were 270,720 independent telephones and Al, Ill of the Bell company.
 Donald T. Warner at this point in- troduced Martin W. Littleton, of New York, and in presenting him referred to him as the apostle of democracy and independence.
 MT. Littleton said he was pleased to speak in state which was the first to adopt a civic constitution. Industries and railroads had developed in sur lprisingly wonderful manner. Under the liberty and opportunity this coun- try had given, the Bell Telephone. com pany had grown and grown to an un- believable power, He could not under stand how there could be any legal al- liance between the Bell Telephone com pany and the state, as now exists.
 If you start this independent compa- ny out in a race under the present law, you start in out with hands tied and hobbled.
 In New York one large company reaches out into every place where peo- pie will pay. This company owned the subway.
 What are these amiable gentlemen '' pointing to the lawyers of the telephone company, doing here-the gentlemen who represent tie Bell company? Is this their law that Is to be repealed Is this their state? Why are they here?"
 MT. Littleton said that the only ones who appeared to oppose the repeal of the law were the representatives of the company which profits and has profited many years by it's operation. In. every debate in which he had taken part, in which he had appeared in favor of in- dependent companies, the Bell company would say, "Oh, well; if you do get in you will get corrupt and sell out. " But gentlemen, said MT. Littleton, "the 1 corruption is in the Bell company which buys us out. In New York there are 100000 telephones in talking distance with Chicago, but our friends
 the enemy will not let us talk with them" MT. Littleton then graphically illustrated what he termed the condi-