Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-12-14
THE TELEPHONE SITUATION.

The news columns of the Monte,
last week told of the sale of the Yer.
mont Peoples Telephone Company
located in this county, and one of the
strong chain of independent telephone
companies that have sprung up in
Vermont in the last Is years, to the
Passumpsic Telephone and Telegraph
Company, subsidiary of the New
England Telephone and Telegraph
Company, which in turn is one of the
systems making UP the great Bell
system, known as the telephone trust.
The sale is causing unlimited COM
ment by the people of Orleans county
who have been served by botn the
Peoples and the Passumpsic company,
and have watched the war these COM
panies have waged against each other
for several years past.
There are benefits to be derived
from the consolidating of the two
companies. Business men and others
so situated that they must of necessity
have both telephones realize that the
expense is more than if one system
reached all their patrons and they
at reasonable figure. On the other
hand experience has. taught that
monopoly of public service utilities
has in general worked itself out to
the disadvantage of the people in
general by the imposing of excessive
rates for service. Whether or not
consolidation of these two companies
and the lone telephone to reach all'
policy will more than offset the
tendency to make excessive rates is a
debatable question and one that time
alone will answer. The purchasing
telephone company is very profuse in
distributing the general belief that
rates will not be advanced, but the
public is slow to accept the spoken
word Of the New England Telephone
and Telegraph company. We suppose
the people have some ground for their
fears, else where did they originate.
Past experience here and the expert
ence of other communities possibly
leads to this apprehension on the par
of the people of Orleans county.
For itself the Monitor is sorry to SCI
the strength of the independents weak
ened. The sale of the Vermont
Peoples company sewers the chain o
independent lines completely. On TIT
north is the Peoples Telephone com
pany IF Quebec and on the south the
Citizens Telephone and Telegraph ex
change with head Office at st. Johns
bury, connecting with other independ
ent lines in Orange county This sale
breaks the chain and weakens tn;
independent movement to great eX
tent, and it remains to be seen whethe
the other Independent companies Cal
hold out ag aiust the trust or not.
The Vermont Peoples company ha
been a strong and aggressive in
dependent concern lending aid AM
strength to the movement in Vernon
and New Hampshire. It's officer
have been prominent in the Easter
organization of independent telephon
companies. Competition from tn
NewEngland system has been met wit
wholesome business methods and
all appearances the company ha
been on a paying basis. 1t is no
maintained by the management, how
ever, that the time had come when
large outlay was necessary to put tt
lines in first-class condition and thu
the company had not sufficient .surpl'
to do this and that the sale was Their
fore almost a necessity. Here ente
the question of whether a permane
and paying telephone business can
built up on the rates usually charged
this and other Independent compani
of 81 per month. or not. This co!
pany has given unlimited calls and t
territory has been the entire count
for the residential rate of 81 p
month and business rate of SIS p
year. The Passumpsic company charg
SIS and $21 and gives less territor
They claim they are making no mon
and the question naturally arises;
this company cannot make mon
now at the $18 and $2l rate h
can they make money at this sal
rate after investing 100000 ;
ditional in plant they s
they must rebuild aud remodel at
great expense? A per cent of the
irons of the purchased property {
already patrons of the Passump
company, so the gain in number of 81
seribers will hardly be in proportion
the added investment. According
the standard Of the New England CT
pany and their statement of pres
conditions, a raise from present pr