The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-10-21
3ETTER TELEPHONE SER
VICE.

Granted a Franchise System
Here to be Improved and
Long Distance Connections to !
be Made as Soon as Possible .
A Welcome Change.
Praise be! there is the certain
~ now that Lumberton will not
Ne cut off from the outside world
sor lack of telephone facilities
anv longer than Il takes TO do
he necessary w" < Of installa-
t;on .The Bell Telephone E.
Tele ,raph Company has bought
8It the local telephone company
and at a meeting vi the town
commissioners Tuesday evening
II was granted a franchise. The
system here will be taken over
by the Bell people about the first |
next month.
AS stated in last Thursdays |
2obesonian, negotiations had
oeen under way for some time,
out up to that time up to the
rirst of this week, in act-the
Lumberton Telephone Co. and
ne Bell people had not been able
. get together, and it Looked
as though all efforts to reach
sOme satisfactory basis for a deal
~ which the Bell phone would
3e put in here, thereby securing
long-distance. which has been
BADLY needed. would fail. Messrs.
A. f. White and A. W. Mclean,
40wever, owners of the local
plant, realized that the demand
..::or relief was urgent and being
unwilling to stand in the way of
what is needed so badly and be-
5ng anxious to serve the public
good, came to terms with the
Bell people and the rest was
easy. Mr.. M. B. Speir, of Char
.otte, who is in charge of this
territory for the Bell Telephone
Company, came to Lumbertor
Tuesday and completed a deaI
with Messrs. White and Mclean
9y which his company should
take over the Lumberton Tele-
phone Co. s plant as soon as q
franchise could be secured foi
the Bell Co.
A special meeting of the towr
commissioners had been calleC
1or Tuesday evening and Mr.
Speir and some gentlemen who
are vitally interested in the tele
phone service appeared before
the board and the situation wa.
thoroughly sifted. Mr.. McLeal
reviewed the formation of tn
Lumberton Telephone Co. ant
what it has done. Heretofore il
had stood in the way of the Bel
people entering Lumberton an
the people of the town have stoo'
loyally by the local company
The need for better service ha
become greater, however, ant
The demand has become great
er. so deal had been made, MI
Mclean stated, whereby tn
Bell company would take owe
The local plant and that so far /;
tie .o,al comuany was concerne
the board need not hesitate
grant the Bell company a fran
;hise. Mr.. Speir then read a
ordinance such as his COMPANY
willing to come in under, tn
same being similar to ordinance
II force in regard to the compan
n other places and practical
me same as the one under Whic
elocal company has been opera
ing, except that the former cor
tains some concessions to til
town that the iatterdoes not col
tain.
After Mr.. Speir had fully gor
.ut0 the plans and purposes F,
MS company I'D had explaine
what might be expected, and a
ter some discussion by the bus
aeSs men present, the ordinant
as submitted 10y Mr.. Speir w;
adopted, with some minor chang
AID subject to some additions.
Until the line is practically r
built, as is proposed. and metz
I.e-circuited the rates will be Il
same as those now in force, e
ceDt that perhaps a charge w
De made for service to the tow
n the county, which h2s be-
free. As soon as the line n
been rebuilt, the rates will be
follows: Single-line office'phone
50; party Office phones, 81
residence phones, 81; party re
cence phones, $1.50. These rat
will obtain until 300 phones &
II use, when the rates will
advanced so cents as regar
business 'pnones, until
pnones are placed; after ii