Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-06-27
union ELECTRIC
TO QUIT FIELD?
Reported Sale to the Bell Cor
poration Is Under Con-
sideration.
If COUNCILS CONSENT
Independent Enterprise in the Tri-
Cities Said to Have Been a Loser
From the Start.

Is the Union Electric Telephone and
Telegraphic company, otherwise the
Independent company, in the three cit
les, to be absorbed by the Central I'm
ion?
That is the prospect at the present
time, provided the councils of the three
cities consent. There is a stipulation in
the Union Electrics ordinance in Rock
Island, at least, and it is believed that
similar provisions exist in the ordi-
nances in Moline and Davenport, strict
ly forbidding consolidation with any
other telephone company. According
to the Rock Island ordinance the min
ute the independent company merges
with another company without the con-
sent of the council, its franchise be-
comes null and void, and its property is
confiscated.
George B. Sucker of Harrisburg,
president of the Union Electric, &C
companied by Leroy J. Wolfe, of the
same city, general counsel for the COM
pany, arrived at the New Harper Sat
urday night, and it is understood the
object of their mission in the three
cities is to look into the question of
selling out to the Central Union. Mr.
Sucker declined to commit himself on
the proposition this morning, in CONVEX
sation with an Argus representative,
but did not deny that the Central
Union had made the Union Electric
tentative proposition, which is under
consideration.
Can't Hold Much Longer.
"One thing is certain" Mr.. Sucker
admitted, land that is that we have
reached the point where we can not
hold on much longer. The independent
telephone proposition has been a losing
one right from the jump. In the past
six months we have sunk $4,000 in the
three cities, and there is no prospect
ahead but put in and take nothing out.
We feel that we have hold of red hot
poker, and we would like to let go of
it if we can. 1t is not a very comfort
able experience at this time of year,
you will concede. How we are to get
ourselves out of our present undesir-
able predicament We are not fully de-
cided.- Our company put originally into
the tri-city plant $4,000, and the drain
upon us has increased our present in
vestment to at least 100000. Mean
while we have not gotten anything out,
not even the interest on our money
The independent telephone proposition
does not seem to be successful in this
country. Only recently one of the
largest independent telephone corpora
tons in the country, in my own state
of Pennsylvania, was obliged to go by
the board. There were IL stockholders
in the company l represent originally,
but our friends have pulled out one at
a time, until now it is down to three
stockholders, and the burden is more
than we can afford to carry much
longer
Automatic Proposition Fails.
Asked why the Union Electric had
failed to install the automatic devises
under the new ordinances granted in
Rock Island and Davenport a few
years ago, Mr.. Sucker replied:
For the same reason that we did
not apply for similar franchise in Mo-
line. The Chicago Automatic Electric
company that we had entered into ne
gotiations with to install the electric
equipment and take a good slice of
stock and bonds in return, afterwards
reconsidered it's proposition, and that
left us stranded. Since then there has
been nothing left to us but to pinch
along and try to exist, but we are now
at the starving point
Mr. Sucker did not deny that he and
his counsel were il the three cities to
look the ground over and sound public
sentiment on the proposed consolida-