Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-11-16
independent Telephone Promot-
ers to Expend Large Sums
i'm Iowa
WINNING ALL ALONG THE LINE
Several Victories Scored Over the Bell
Interests and the Fight Goes Merrily
on-P. c. HoldoeseI Discusses tho
Telephone Situation in the State
Other Iowa News.
to Times-1,epupllcan.

Special to Times Republican.
Des Moines, Nov. 16-The independ-
ent telephone companies of Iowa are
preparing to spend close to $4,000, 900 in
improvements and new plants in the
immediate future. The Independents
have scored several victories in the
state in opposition to the plans of the
Bell interests to drive out competi-
ton.
At Missouri Valley the people de-
feated the franchise asked by the Bell
company and at Marshalltown the
franchise asked by the independents
was voted eight to one. Missouri VAL
ley is the key to the toll line situa-
ttion toward the west. Marshalltown
was the scene, recently, of coupe on
the part Of the Bell people by which
that company expected to put out of
business a large number Of independ-
ents. Having won The battle In both
places election day the independents
are specially happy.
At the same time what they believe
is a successful law suit to prevent the
Bell people realizing on their purchase
of the Independent plant at Dubuque
has been started and at the same time
plants are under way at Prairie City.
Runnells and Mitchellville whose inde-
pendent plants the Bell recently alb
sorbed
P. c. Holdoegel, president of the In
ternational Independent Telephone as
ISOLATION, passed thru Des Moines on
his way to Chicago from his home
in Rockwell City, to attend meeting
of the executive committee of the or
ganization which is preparing the plans
for the annual meeting Of the associa-
ton in December.
'It is not such an easy matter to de-
termine the exact amount of money
which each Of the, 1000 independent
companies in Iowa will expend within
the next year as its contribution to the
Taft prosperity as it would be If they
were all in single corporation" said
Mr. Holdoegel at his hotel. ut is. safe,
however, to assume that the independ-
ents, who have four-f ifths of the tele-
phones of the state will, in the ordinary
course Of events.-expend at least four
times as much as the other fellow un-
less it be argued that on account Of
the other fellow having been, three
times as long in the field has property
that is antiquated or run down.
1--WE are sure that the 1000 indie
pendent telephone companies of Iowa
can catch the rabbits for more dollars,
whenever either rabbits or dollars can
be used to advantage, than could pos
sibly be caught by any one corporation
having a single executive head in the
state; and If the corporation having
one-fourth of the telephones of the
state expends $1,sO0,000 next year, the
independent will not expend less than
Sc, 100000.
Given should the 1000 Independent
companies expend $1,000 each on an
compared to former expenditures, it
would make a total of $4,000,O0O for in
dependent telephone improvement in
Iowa.
"And when such enterprises as that
now under way at Ma.rshalltown,
Prairie City, Runnells and Mitchellville,
where $250,000 will be expended by the
independents in duplicating the old
plants recently sold to Bell interests,
are taken in consideration, the above
sum is surely conservative
'ePlans are also completed for the
expenditure Of more than $1,0O0,O00 in
toll line Improvements, which will con-
sist mostly Of long distance copper
lines"