Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-10-11
TELEPHONE SITUATION IN DIES
MONIES THE KEY TO CON-
TRoL OF IOWA.
BELL MONOPOLY HAS SCHEME
TO BEAT COURT INJUNCTION
Busy Getting Present Mutual subscrib-
ers to Transfer Names to Bell System
Mutual Man Predicts End of lnde-
pendents in the State-other News of
the State.
Special to Times-Republican


Des Moines Oct. 11-This city is
again in the throes of telephone diff
ficulty and in many ways it looks as
tho whatever the outcome the people
will get the worst of it. The first tele-
phone system was erected in this city
in 1880 and 1881 and changed hands
from one company to another till the
Central Union acquired the plant In
1891 the city gave this company
five-year franchise and before the ex-
piration of the franchise it had sold
out to the Iowa When the franchise
expired the service had been so poor
that the people insisted on having
competing com pany and asked the city
to refuse a franchise TO the Iowa The
Iowa claiming it could make no i'm
provements 10 better the service I'M
less it had franchise and promising
great Improvements for the future.
The franchise was refused 10 the
Iowa and given 70 home company
and the Iowa Went into court and won
/ the RICH, 10 do business here without
/ q franchise. The Mutual has been built
f up Till = now has ZOO subscribers
and the Iowa mas 5000 The Iowa has
acquired almost all of the stocks and
bonds Of the Mutual and proposes 10
consolidate. It has control of the man
agement of the Mutual a suit has been
started 20 prevent the consolidation. In
the meantime the Iowa has the man
agenlent Of the Mutual. as vel las it's
own system and business men are
asking whether Ii will not let the quail
ity Of the Mutual service deteriorate.
take in all the solicitors for the Mutual
and hustle out an extra lot Of solicitors
for the Iowa. Then by the time the
court action is settled it will make lit
tie difference TO the Iowa which way
Il goes for the subscribers TO the Mu-
tual Will al have gone over TO the
Iowa and the Mutual will have nothing
left but its switchboards and wires in
the streets. II the court decides the
consolidation can take place it will
have already in fact taken place and il
il decides i can not take place tha
consolidation will have been practically
accomplished anyway
service On which the people are being
educated is that not ali the argument:
! are il favor Of one system as at frs
appears. Probably everyone at hrs
takes The view that Of course it would
: be better to have one system and the,
one can reach all the telephone sub
scribsrs in the city and not heTe IN,
i, annoyance of finding that your friend
5 has The other phone The more tele.
j phones there are entering an exchange
however. the higher the charge for tn,
4 service on the theory that the NOR
] persons one can talk 10 over his 'phon.
,}le greater value il is 10 him and fur
: .larmore the more expensive is IN
cost Of operating the system to tn
pany
Z Under the present arrangement i
{ Dies Moines business phone costs Sc
1 g YEAR with the Iowa and SIS a yea
h with he Mutual II the two system
! are consolidated a business nous
I would have 10 pay about the sum q
I these FIR one phone But in bushes
Z hoases in a ciiy the size Of Des Nome
I there j. 50 mach business that 81
I Dhon= Is aot enough 4 grocer for in
stance can MOI AXE down all his teia
I phone orders 0Eer one phone. Even
< there were ora SWS,cra liz = n1,d haT
! to have tv9 phones - # Fhe srsta.
: ~oI8atec ne wil haze 10 hay
tH1 phones a; 9 cost ~ s2la q year IN
i ead a3s so naw ~ a cos.
s s1o5 Pr the restdanc owner y
aicf arpase ~ Inc telennoHe is u ca
i - Fhe grocer ana bG.cner and doctc
$40 feN others Under the prese,
: arrange nlenI til= Mutual charges s24
/ year f2r s residence phone. If the sy:
TENS are consolidated he would ha,
1 to pay more than double that sum.
would be just as economical for him
/ order in both phones with two system
and then he would have the advanta,
4 that If two mem bers of the fami
wanted to talk at one time they cou
/ do so and the cost would be no great
than for one phone with consolidate
system.
The first impressions about the tel
phone question in Des Moines are u
y dergoing radical change. People fl,
thought that with a consolidated sy
= tenn they would pay no more for o
G phone than they do now. They ha
y discovered their mistake and the ii
of opinion is setting in towards kee
ing both systems and keeping them u
der a distinctly separate manageme
tie It is being learned furthermore II
!. under the Bell system ii large cit
like Chicago and New York and otf
ey large cities no larger than Des Moir