The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-05-17
NORTH OGDEN TELEPHONE
PROBLEM.

Editor Standard: | was present
for few minutes last evening at a
! meeting OF the people of North Ogden
who use the telephone, the object of
the meeting being to devise some
means by which the people can con
tinue to phone without mortgaglng
their farms, and at the same time al
low tho people of Boston. Mass, (who.
we were told, are the principal own
ers OF the Bell Telephone company,
to continue the expensive baked pork
and bean habit, which is almost a ne
cessity to these people VINO live at
the nerve center of civilization.
Having farm property within the
radius of the North Ogden exchange,
have had some personal experience
and take 1t that my case is typical.
Two OF three years ago the Bell phone
people solicited permission to equip
the farm house at flat rate between
there and Ogden of $500 per year,
/ to pay tolls when using the phone
to either points. This was done. but
when I had acquired the phone habit
(as the Boston people have the p.
and B. habit my flat rate was raised
to S2400 per year, and. rataer than
cease talking. ] stood for the raise,
Now they notify me that it Will cost,
in addition to the $4,000 per year, five
cents every time we talk between Og-
den and the farm, probably two or
three times day, l called at the
headquarters office for a heart to-
heart talk, ana TO see II / could ar
range to have the phone taken out;
the phone people explained to me
that the business was losing about
$50 per month on the Norfh Ogsen
branch When l suggested that 1t
must have been pretty tough before
they raised the rate, they said they
we're losing more now as so many
had had the phones taken out. Yet
they are continuing the same policy
of raising the rate.
II question seriously whether this
system will work out successfully. 1t
costs something over 5000 per month
to run the North Ogden office, and
unless a few of the people have be-
come friends so to speak Chat Ia
acquired the phone habit so that they
cannot break off no matter what the
cost, this plan will sound the death
knell to the gossip wire in North Og-
den, and the people will lapse back
into semi -barbarism and civilization
will be again on the wane.
"WAild 1t not be a more plausible
proposition 10 reduce the rate and
get back the old patrons and some
more with them. which could un-
doubtedly be done by little hustling
OF course, it would be less work for
the girls and less wear and tear on
the wires, if the company is fortun-
ate enough to find one man who will
dig up this 5000 rather than have his
phone taken out, but the general
consensus of opinion at the meeting
was that this addition Of nickle-a
talk is the last load of straw. and IL
there Is a camel in the bunch whose
back is not broken. it is at least bad
ly sprung.
"There were various suggestions
made at the meeting. such as calling
on the Chamber OF Commerce or the
Weber club for help in the shape OF
advice or influence. but as / left be-
fore the meeting was adjourned am
ignorant as to final conclusions, and
call the attention Of the Standard and
its readers TO the matter In the hope
that some good may come of more
publicity. Respectfully.
(Signed) &C. M. CLAY"
ogden, May Is"