Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1909-05-12
nd $500 for business phones.

anu " INV III OuotllCoO PHOhCOs
Even at the increased Rates the
various companies are Putting in force,
there is no form Of public or private
service so cheap or witch makes as
great return for the cost as does the
telephone. At the rate of one dollar
and half north for a telephone it
costs less than FIVE cents a day. The
average number OF calls over tele-
phone in an exchange with i've humid
red subscribers, is between FIVE and
seven, making each call average in
cost less than cent. In an exchange
Of two thousand telephones the aver
age number Of calls per. telephone is
between fifteen and twenty. making
the cost Of each call average less than
one-third OF cent.
There is invested in independent
telephone plants in central Kentucky
over S1,500,000. We doubt if those
who invested in this amount have re-
ceived an average of two percent, on
their investment up to this time. We
presume that there are held in Licking
ton and Lafayette county telephone
securities of the par value of at least
100000 the salable value Of which
at the present market price is between
1925 600 and S350000.
To meet the demands for teIe-
phones in Central Kentucky and Eas-
tern Kentucky in the next FIVE years
will require the investment OF at least
S1000,0O0 more, probaly S1,500,000
Unless the capital invested can Sc
cure sufficient returns to induce others
to invest in such securities it will be
impossible to meet the demand and
many companies now operating will
either be bankrupt or sold 10 the COM
peting companies. Those who are op-
posing the increased rates for the va
rious companies in the smaller towns
Of Kentucky ought to give careful con-
sideration to these facts"
Some are prone to criticise us for
our policy Of publicity so far as it con-
Germs the so-called independents"
We are working to complete harmony
with many OF the Independents whose
systems, for practical purposes. are
part Of. ours and ours from part Of
theirs. There is an other class OF So
called independents which really
should be called opposition" and it is
usually by these latter that we are
called antagonistic, because in the
protection Of our interests we try to
expose and correct the misleading
statements and impossible promises
put out by promoters and organizers
whose sole aim is to make big lot of
money out of franchise vending and
promotion.
We believe the preponderating in
terests we have in the telephone bust
ness entitle us to at least call attention
to the Misrepresentation OF these pro-
moters who put out rosy-hued pros
pectuses, offering to the public securi-
Ties at large discounts. promising large
prospective returns from exchanges
in which service is to be given at i'm.
possible rates.
II all who are intere sted in the hon.
est capitalization Of corporations would
take the trouble to educate the public
and show courage enough to denounce
such dishonest efforts, we would not
be confronted with the spectacle Of
properties being bonded and stocked
for two and three and four times. their
actual cost, with the resultant losses
to innocent investors, and the neces-
'sity Of charging high rates to pay
dividends on wind and water.
The editorial Of Mr.. Breckenridge
should be lesson to those who may
have the good fortune to read it.
Cumberland Telephone & Telegraph
Co.,
(lncorporateN