Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-06-14

Monday night in an EFFORT 10 force
The Marshau Telephone Company :,
+ restore ne o.d rates to- service. il
4 sorce PRIOR 70 me ISSUANCE Of is ne"
directory last month. The council MI
INSIST ina. the company i've up 70 th5
letter 0. the ordinance under which me
e9mpanys franchise was granted. on
the penalty o. for:ei.ins ne tranchis Sc
and having :: declared annu!led >!
formal action Of The council.
The report on The rates. and or
whether or not Ihe company was eX-
ceediug the ordinance n publishing anc
demanding che new rates for service
was delegated TO The Judiciary commit
ZEE and city attorney a recent Meet
ing The report Nhica vas 1led Mon
day nigh, was signed oniy by one
mem Der. George Herman, out !. VAS
adopted 81 the Council IN a unit vote.
Ordinance Preceded State Law.
President A. A Moore. 81 the tsle-
phou+. com pa1y, was asked This morn
.ng whether or no- ne had anything
To say following ne councils action
Monday night and replied that NJ did
not He said ne mao no knowledge Of
what rte council had done, or MA j,
intended doing
Mr. Moore met with The council com
nittee Monday afternoon, however, and
spent three hours in an attempt 70
snow the committee that the telephone
business was no, a profitable ONE City
Solicitor Northup says that The COM
panv's contention is that me present
ordinance OF the city was adopted TWO
years prior 70 the state law which gave
city councils the power ID regulate
telephone rates the same as "a les Of
other public service corporations Mr..
Northup expressed the opinion 70 the
T.-R. that. so long as the telephone
company had accepted lis franchise
under the present ordinance, and had
doubtless Itself suggested The rates as
specified in that ordinance. that the
company could ne held 70 strict
compliance OF the terms OF the ordi-
nance.
Hernan's Report.
The report of Mr.. Herman. as a
member of the judiciary committee.
Went into the rate question exhaustive
", and set forth the rates specified in
the ordinance and those shown by the
new telephone directory as now fixed
and chargeable
The ordinance authorizes a maxi
mum charge Of $50 per month for
residences 50 for offices. and $3.50 for
business houses. The ordinance does
not provide any penalty from the sub.
scriber in the event bills are not paid
in advance, and the company is not
entitled to ask a penalty.
According To the book, the report
a, 50, office SOS. and business s2.75.
These charges are providing the
phones are wall phones If a desk
phone an additional charge of %
cents is demanded. with discount Of
% cents for prompt payment These
charges are an Increase of so cents
more for wall phones in residences, %
cents more for wall phones in offices,
and % cents more for wall 'phonese in
business houses Then there is p cents
more charged if they are desk phones,
Three of these charges are in viola
ton Of the ordinance. and the company
has no right TO make such charges"
The report goes on 20 show that the
committee has investigated the claim
Of the telephone company that desk
phones cost more than wall phones,
and that the committee is unable ID
find that there is any difference in the
cost. In fact the wall phones are de-
clared to cost more and the com pany'
charges less for them.
To Regulate Party Line Rates.
AS 20 party lines the report show $
that the company has made rates that
are practically the same for individual
lines. and the committee believed that
the company mad 10 right to make a
charge as great for party as for individ
ual lines, where the service could not
be as satisfac Glory and there was more
revenue 70 be derived than from a
single line.
The COMMITTEES believed. insofar as The
ordinance does not refer 20 party line
rates at all. that the ordinance should
be amended to reduce the party line
rate to 81. the Old charge made.
The report also called the councils
attention TO the low tax valuation Of
the company, as fixed by the council.
while its returns for service were
large. and suggested that instead IF
raising the company should lower the
rates. The refusal Of the company 70
raise the wages Of operators, when
asked, was also referred 20 and made
a part OF the report
Northup Instructed to Act.
The council. after adopting the re-
port Of the committee, Instructed City
Solicitor Northup to notify the tele-
phone company that It mus destore
the rates under the ordinance. and If
not % start suit 70 forfeit the COM
pany's rights 10 use the cfty's streets
and annul the franchise under which
the company /. operating
Patrons Greatly interested.
Practically all of the occupants Of
the gallery Monday night were teIe-
phone patrons interested in the action
Of the council in the rate question
One subscriber told the council now
that day, when dem and was made for
telephone rental at the increased rate
and the Old price was rendered the
money was refused by the collector
and the telephone was taken out Of
the house
Others told that they had bAen Of
! fered. providing they did not want 10
pay the higher rate for individual
lines. TO be Put on a party line. They
said. ever. That tt :c-e .
charge Of IS made for switching the
service from Individual TO party.
City Solicitor Nor...ur suggested
that ir wac an