The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-02-16
Home COMPANY GETS
FRANCHISE FOR line
Will Connect Hattiesburg, Meridian,
Jackson, vicksburg and Other
Distance Service.

The HattieSburg Home Telepnone
Company, with offices and exchanges
in Meridian. Vicksburg and other Mis-
sissippi towns and cities, yesterday
closed negotiations for a franchise
over the A. & V. Railroad between
| Meridian and Vicksburg and will in
stall an underground system and ex-
change in Jackson, in addition to con.
Meeting all of the towns named by
long distance wires.
Discussing the plans of the company,
today's issue of the Jackson Clarion
Ledger says:
"A week ago arrangements were
made with the Gulf and Ship Island for
the right to erect poles and string
wires between Hattiesburg and the
city of Jackson, and nothing remains
now to be done, but to get to work,
and assurance is given that will be
done. Immediately.
Among the visitors to Jackson yes
terady were Messrs. George C. Graeber
and w. L. Helfenstein, Of Shamplxin,
Pa, Charles West, of Allentown, Pa,
and ]. o. SPOTS, of Meridian. The
later is manager of the Mississippi
Home at Meridian, and Mr.. West is
president Of the company that is now
reaching out for business all over this
section of the country. These gentle.
men represent the major portion of the
stock of the company, and were down
here to studoy the field with the resi-.
dent agent, Mr.. Smith, to look over
the proposition, to organize their com.
pany in Jackson at once, and outline
plans for the installation of an up-to-
date automatic telephone system.
"The automatic system is the new.
est thing in telephony, and has taken
like wildfire all over the Feast There
is no such thing as listening to what
other people are saying over the auto
matte. 1t ic operated without an ex
/
change-it is cussless, girless, wait
less, out of orderless, and in every re
spect a secret service.
Zone great and satisfactory feature
of this new system is that the most Of
the wires will be underground, and
there will be few unsightly poles along
the streets of the city.
ut is the intention of the com
pany, says President West, to put in
their toll lines along the Alabama ant
Vicksburg and the Gulf and ShiT
Island Railroad rights of way at the
same time they are building thetl
plant in this city. 1t is also the inten
ton of the company to build down into
Mobile from Meridian while they are
doing their construction work on thi:
side of Meridian.
About the same time their lines are
coming down on the other side of the
State from Jackson, Tenn, and Mem
phis, by way of Greenwood, Greenville
Yazoo City and other places, finally
taking in Vicksburg by a line from
this city.
THE system has been extended al
through the Middle West during the
past few months, and wherever it ha.
gone there has been a marked i'm
provement in the business and thu
service of all the old companies.
1--WE are not by any means oper
ating entierly on outside capital,
said President West, as a great mum
Der of citizens of Mississippi owl
stock in the company, some of then
Jackson people, and this will be thu
only big foreign corporation in Jack
son, perhaps, where local capital Il
admitted
One of our strong cards." said tn,
president n the company. is that W,
do everything in our power to encour
age the building of small neighborhoot
lines. We help them build and fur
nish our men to help them get in work
ing order, and then give them fai
chance for their share of the business
I,No crowding put of the little fellows
land they can get all the connection
with us they may need or want"