Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1907-03-25
SYSTEMS OBJECT
TO MANDATORY FEATURE.
COMPETITION DESIRABLE
President CritchfieId Occupies Nearly
All Afternoon-Contend That the
Best Possible Results Have Been
Accomplished Under the Prevailing
Arrangements.

The telephone bills came up for
hearing before the joint committee on
transportation yesterday Represen-
tatives of six different independent
telephone systems presented argu-
ments against the passage of the bills
which would place the telephone aud
telegraph business under the regula-
ton of the state railroad commission
and which would compel connections
between the various lines. r. D..
Critchfield of Milwaukee, representing
the affiliated Independent telephone
companies of Wisconsin occupied al
most the entire afternoon with an
elaborate and exhaustive presentation
of the growth of the independent
movement and the reasons for ta4 OPP
position on the part of the telephone
companies against the proposed legis-
latiOn
The essential feature of the entire
argument on the part of the indep8nd
ent representatives was the argument
that competition between the independ-
ents and the Bell companies has pro-
duced the present satisfactory condi |
tions in this state and that any legis- |
latiOn which would tend to cripple the |
Independent companies would neces-
sarily result III Objectionable mOnop- |
oily. He argued, as did the others, |
that it is impossible to regulate the !
telephone business in the same man |
ner that railroad affairs are regulat-
ed, since it is impraclicable for the
Independents themselves to locate |
troubles and complaints in many |
instances.
The physical connection feature OF !
the proposed legislation was the sub
ject of particular attack on the p.ut
of Mr. Critchfleld and also on the part |
of Mr., Schweitzer OF the La Crosse In
terurban Telephone Co, Mr.. TeaZle Of
the Sparta company, Mr., Baer of the
Fox River Valley Telephone Co., Mr..
Middlesworth Of the Racine lines, and
Mr.. Maloney of the Chippewa Falls
company. This objection is the TACT
that it would necessitate an enormous
expenditure on the part of the indie
pendent lines to maintain a service
and equipment which would accommo
date the maximum of demand when
the real demand will fall far short If
it. At the same time capital would
have to be invested to put in the
equipment, whether it is used for one
connection per day or for hundred.
The initial cost of this equipment
would be so large that insufficient
profits would result from the operation
of the entire line.
1t is further the contention on the
part of the independent people that |
they are now progressing without |
legislation along the line of long lis |
lance connections in a satisfactory |
manner and where they do fail they |
fail now when there is a general desire |
to cooperate. No law, they say, can |
bring about that by compulsion which |
in many instances the companies find |
it impossible to accomplish by friend |
ly cooperation.
This afternoon the committees will |
meet again in Joint session and The |
Bell representatives have given notice |
that they desire to be on hand with |
their engineers to present in an eA
haustive manner the different phases
of the legislation contemplated, both
along the line of regulation by the
commission and the requirement Of
physical connections between compel
ing lines.