Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-07-09
BELL INTERESTS IN IOWA TO
COMBINE WITH FOUR AID.
JOINING STATES.
PHONE COMPANY
TAKEN FROM COMPETITION
Biggest Of Several Recent Telephone
Combinations is Arnounced-Means
Absorption Of Three Other compan.
les Latsr-combine i. Gigantic
Ono.
Special to Times-Republican.

phone merger of the several announced
recently is being formed by the COM
bining Of the Bell interests in five
states, including Iowa. It is the latest
move In the campaign Of the Bell peo-
pie to secure control Of the telephone
field With this com bination formed on
solid basis and the complete obliter-
alton of the Western Bell as a holding
company, the position Of the independ-
ents will be more precarious than ever
before.
The proposition which is being
worked out is the consolidation of all
the Bell telephone interests In Iowa,
Nebraska, Minnesota, North and South
Dakota. The first step has been taken
in the combination by centering the
management of these five Bell COM
panies in one man, Casper e. Yost Of
the Iowa Telephone Company, with
headquarters of the new combination
at Omaha. This action also practi-
cally amounts to the ultimate elirni-
nation of the Western Bell Telephone
and Telegraph Company as a holding
corporation. The companies over
which Mr.. Yost takes the complete
management and which will be con-
solidated are the Iowa Telephone Com
pany, with headquarters at Des
Moines; the Nebraska Telephone Com
pany, with headquarters at Omaha;
the Northwestern Telephone Exchange
Company, operating in Minnesota,
hnSt6 wifi We
in Minnesota; the Duluth Telephone
West Superior, and the Mesaba Tele-
Minnesota.
Is Giant Combine.
Altfo the Bell interests claim
that the scheme is merely intended to
reduce operating expenses, we'll in
formed telephone men insist that 1t is
tn forerunner Of complete combi-
nation Of all Bell interests In this
section Of the country and carries
with 1t as the ultimate goal the bring
ling Of all the important independent
companies into the combination 1t
is believed that as soon as the first
step Is completed the details of this
combine Of the Bell interests in the Ave
states will be worked out and then
will come the work Of bringing the
Important Independent concerns into
fthe net, making gigantic combina-
ton.
Follows Known Plan.
Such line of action follows the
known plan Of the Boston manage
ment Of the. Bell interests and that
this plan will be ultimately worked on:
is a foregone conclusion, tho ii
will take some years to get all the de-
tails worked out. There are good rea-
sons why the Bell interests should
| wipe out the Western Bell concern as
last year the Boston management OF
| the Bell was called on to take up So
100000 worth of the Western Bells
debts The Northwestern one of the
concerns in the proposed consolidation
is now owned by the Western Tele-
phone and Telegraph Company and this
combina ton will take that concern
out of the hands entirely of the West
ern and place it directly in the con-
troll Of the Bell people.
Three More Later.
The Western Telephone Company al
so controls the Wisconsin, the Cleve-
land and the Southwestern Telephone
Companies and if the western 10 final
ly eliminated from the telephone field
it probably means that the Bell will
also control all three OF the last
named companies, which would give 1t
control of vast mileage Of telephone
| wires and a vast number of exchanges
With the companies of five states COM
bined then add to this the Wisconsin,
tha ClevA1o nd and the Gouthues tArn Ind
the elimination Of the Western Tele-
phone Company as a factor In the
telephone situation, it Is readily seen
that the new combination will be OF
great proportion and augers i'll for the
Independent movement In the middle
west, where it Is strongest.