Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-06-11
Iowa Independent Lines Object
to the Local Phone Con-
solidatiOn
SUGGEST AUTOMATIC EXCHANGE
Members of Executive Committee Of
the Iowa Independent Telephone As
ISOLATION Visit tho City to See Where
They Are "At"-Toll Connections
Will Be Severed June 80.

Il
mittee of the Iowa Independent Tele-
phone association in Marshalltown to-
| day Is the first signal Of a telephone
war which is going to be precipitated
In this city as the result of the recent
consolidation OF local telephone ex-
changes.
Mr.. e. III. Martin, of Webster City,
president of the independent Clearing
house; Mr.. p. c. Holdoegel, Of Rock
| well City, first vice president of the
International independent Telephone
association, and j. III. Shoemaker, OF
Waterloo. president Of the Iowa Inde-
pendent Telephone association. all
| members OF the executive committee
of the Iowa association, accompanied
| by C. A. Hollis, of Hudson, Iowa, the
state agent OF the Iowa association,
spent the day in THE city canvassing
| the telephone situation.
| These men claim that the recent
consolidation here will cut off all OF
their toll lines from Marshalltown at
| five minutes past IL o'clock on the
night of June 30, and that thereafter
there will be no toll business In or out
Of Marshalltown for the independents
until another independent exchange
has been established in the CITY,
| They insist that from information
now in their possession. and from their
experience in many another CONSOLE
dation, they are convinced that the
| Bell company has purchased the con-
troll Of the stock of the Marshall Tel
ephone Company, and that while the
control Of the local telephone service
within the city may remain In the
hands of board Of local directors,
| that there will be only the one toll
| line service accessible to the people
| OF Marshaltown, and they are here for
| the purpose of investigating local sem
timent toward the Introduction Of an
| automatic local exchange. What Mr..
Martin terms q "girless, waftless,
cussless" telephone with underground
| circuits and the most modern equip
ment turnout.
These gentlemen argue that the In
dependent telephones in iowa number
| 225, OOOas compared to $4,000 for the
Bell lines, that Iowa has been a pfo-
neer in the independent telephone bus
| mess, and now has 22h per cent of the
independent phones In the United
States. They insist that the CONSOLE
4 datdon which has been perfected In
4 this city will cut of from Marshall
town access to f1ve-sixths OF the tel
ephones in Iowa, and as independents,
alive to their own interests, they do
4 not propose to be strangled in the lead
ing city In the center of this state.
They will return again in the near
4 future when their plans have been
perfected In detail
Mr.. Holdoegel is manager OF the
independent exchange at Rockwell
City. Mr.. Martin is particularly well
known in telephone circles as presi-
dent OF the Martin telephone and teie-
graph lines OF Webster City, Mr..
Shoemaker Is general manager Of the
/ Corn Belt lines, which Is the independ-
4 emit system at Waterloo, and Mr.. Hollis
4 As manager of the Farmers Mutual
at Hudson. Mr.. r. L.. Parker, OF
Traer, manager of THE Independent
phones in the north half Of lama
county, with exchanges at Traer
Gladbrook and Reinbeck, was also in
\ the city today endeaNoring to ascer-
tain what could be done toward saw
ing his connections with Marshall
town. which he has had over the Corn
Belt hne from Waterloo, by an ar
arrangement with the Marshall Tele-
phone Company.