Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-07-09
PATRONS OF MARSHALL TELE.
PHONE COMPANY TO PAY BILLS
ONLY UNDER PROTEST.
MUST RESTORE OLD RATES
OR SUITS WILL FOLLOW
Committee Appointed to Wait Upon
the Directors of the comPany-citi-
zens Express Views and An Effort
VII Be Made to Unite Patrons in
Refusing to Pay Bills.

AT a mass NEE ing or cltlZeNS, he!C
Friday evening in the east court room,
plans for a Telephone va" were dis
cussed and adopted and a committee
named TO carry The declaration of wac
inro the camp of the Marshalltown Tel
ephone Company.
The meeting was well attended, and
after lengthy discussion II was unan-
imously decided that patrons OF the
M~a-shalltown Telephone Company re
fuse % pay the advanced rate for
phone service or pay under protest and
then bring sui, for the difference be-
tween the old and the new prices
charged, and that a committee OF five
be appointed by the chairman, the
committee 10 include President Lynch,
Of the Marshall County Rural Tel
ephone Company, 10 meet the directors
OF the Marshall Telephone Company
for the purpose Of discussing the new
rates, and 10 report at a meeting
10 be held next Tuesday night.
II was the sense OF the meeting that
all telephone users be asked to ABIDE
~ A-4c CCE4S-- " 49,
they be asked to pay no telephone bills
before ttA Meeting of Tuesday even
ing. The committee appointed by
Chairman F. G. Pierce. 70 wait upon
the directors Of the company. is CON-
posed of y. a. Evans. Merritt Greene.
George Herman, F. L. Meeker, and
President Lynch.
Herman Calls Meeting.
Councilman George Herman was
chairman Of the meeting
and in opening the session o the re-
sponsibility Of calling the mass meet
ing of protest. Mt. Herman explained
the situation and his reasons for call
ing the meeting.
Franz G.. Pierce was chosen perna-
nent chairman and F. L. Meeker sec
rotary. Mr.. Pierce said that the trouble
had not arisen from the small increase
in price but from principle. When the
rates for country connections were
raised. said Mr. Pierce. the company
explained that they could raise the
| price on the country people but could
not raise the city phone rem especial
~ as many workingmen had phones in
their homes.
Stockholders Are Ignorant.
Mt. Meeker said he had talked with
several OF the stockholders of the COM
panv but had found none knew any
thing about the arbitrary raise IN
prone rental. Mr.. Meeker believed that
the ordinary bu siness ma would nave
/ gone 20 the city council and opened the
books Of the company TO them to now
that The con was losing money
Il such was the case, and undoubteclE
the council would have called a mass
ne1tng and the people would, in MS
opinion, have raised no objection to the
change IN rental price. -.
II has been repeatedly reported, said
Mr.. Neeke-. that the Bell company
owns 81 per cent Of the stock OF the
Marshall Telephone Company. Briefly
he recited the history Of the local COM
! many. from the lime the franchise va
obtained In 1904. thru the fight with
the Beli company. Up TO the present
time.
New Company Useless.
Mr.. AIeeker did not favor the or
sanization OF q new company altho ne
believed the public sympathy would be
with such an institution. II would re-
ouire a great investment and would
TAX 2 long time to be able 10 compete
with the present company, and before
the new company could get on a paying
basis the Bell people would cut the
rates in order 10 put the new company
out Of business.
Tpon the organization OF the present
company, said Merritt Greene, the
promise was made that the rates would
be lower than those Of the old Bel
company, and that the rates then es-
tablished WOULD be kept in force. The
..o-,-1~I -Ia- tho onrN ~ y * n0f NOW
making-mrey appeared TO Mr.. Greene
more as an excuse than as a easdn for
thu arbitrary action now taken The
busipess position of the company
should. in Mr.. Greene's opinion, be
published. that the public might be
shown whether OF not the company Is
making a fair return on the money in
vested. This, IL would seem would
be fair both to the patrons and to the
company.
Declare Service Poor.
George Darling. J. G. Weatherby, j
E. Stanton. and OTHERS. complained OF
the poor service which they claimed
was being given the public. and fol
which they could see no excuse. While
they could be ~lenient with the com
pany during q storm, when wires were
Z =" l>ltQ LIZ u pSs1o, NaAiS 49,
was being moved from n building te
another, or during the strike of oper-
ators-they could not understand now
why there should not be a better ser
vice han ever. especially with thu
company operating one of the finest
switchboards IN the state.
Trouble in Country.
Robert Harper, of Marietta, spoke
for the farmers present, and told OF the
trouble betvee the rural lines and
President Moore. When the farmer:
went to Moore with their difficulties
they were told. said Mr.. Harper, that
the rate must be raised somewhere ant
that it could not be raised in the city
because of the existing ordinance bu
MI. Moore claimed to have an amend
ment to the ordinance ready to submit
to the city council.
Carpenters Endorse Meeting.
A corpmittee from the carpenters
union, composed Of d. s. Sweeney
George Patton, and J. c. Irwin, was
present with an endorsement OF the
meeting from ninety-six carpenters OF
1.-THE city. Both Mr.. Sweeney and Mr.