Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-07-06
TELEPHONE WAR IS
NON ON N EARNEST
CHARGE UNDER OLD CITY
ORDINANCE.
3. r. CUMMINGS SUES
COMPANY FOR rs CENTS
Win See if Company Is Permitted to
Raise Rates Under Which Its Fran
chise Was Granted-Herman's New
Ordinance Becomes Operative Tues
day Without Mayors Signature.

| The fun is only about TO begin IN the
telephone war that is promised for
Marshalltown. Following the general
raise in rates as first made public with
the issuance OF the new telephone d.
rectory, and the passage Of the Her
man ordinance by the council, setting
and telephone accessories, B. F. Cum
mings has started suit in Justice
Peek's court 10 collect % cents from
! the Marshall Telephone Company for
an alleged overcharge on its June bill.
The case was set for trial tomorrow,
but attorneys for the telephone com
pany asked a continuance, which Mr..
Cummings granted. No date has as
yet been fixed for the hearing of the
case.
Cummings Paid Bill.
When the telephone company pre-
scented its bill for June TO Mr.. Cum
raings for his Office telephone, Mr.
Cummings made a tender of $3.50, the
same as he had been paying, his ser
vice Including a telephone and an ex-
tension set. The company demanded
s2.75 and said that if the amount was
not paid the telephone would be taken
OUT Mr.. Cummings paid the s2.I5, ana
is now suing to recover 20 cents
that ne claims he overpaid. Mr.. Cum
mings' suit IS based on the old city
ordinance, under which the company is
operating. The point involved is wheth-
er or not the company has right to
charge % cents more in the nature OF
I'll -,GiH
a certain time.
Much Interest in Case.
There will be much interest in the
trial Of the case. and it is believed
that, following tts< disposition, should
the court hold that the company
has no right to penalize patron for
lack 10 prompt payment of bills, many
other cases will be filed. There is no
Disgusting the fact that telephone pat
rons are very bitter and. aitho several
have paid the increased rates under
protest. their attitude toward the COM
pany for raising the rates and oe-
manding q penalty is unchanged
Phones Disconnected.
Aside from the fact that many pat
rons are complaining bitterly because
| Of paying the increased rates, they are
! also complaining because OF the cur
| taiinaent of service on the part OF the
( company. Patrons who are paying the
/ increased rates the company mas seen
( 1T to charge are not getting the same
J service they had before the rates were
/ advanced, as many telephones nave
been taken out, while others have been
disconnected.
r F. Cummings residence phone has
been taken out, as was FOUND To-Day
when a patron tried TO get the Cum
nings home and was Informed that the
phone was taken out last week. MT.
/ Cummings. when asked why his phone
was oyt. refused 20 discuss the matter,
saying that the telephone company al
ready had troubles enough.
When the T.-R. wanted to get +. l..
! Meeker's office today to ask him about
telephone suits that it was understood
re was interested in. this Office was
Informed that Mr.. Meeker's phone had
been taken out the first of the month,
both at his office and his residence.
When a T.-R. reporter called on Mr..
Meeker at his office his telephone was
! standing on his desk. Mr.. Meeker ex-
planned that the company had demand
| ed TO take out his phones but he had
refused TO permit employees to touch
!
| pany cut out the phones.
| MIR Meeker explained that he had
| rendered the telephone collector checks
/ for his telephone rental under the old
rates, but the money had been refused,
! the Increased charges being demanded.
Many More Suits Coming.
! Many more suits are TO be filed
within the next few weeks, according
TO different attorneys who have clients
! among patrons. The suits will be in
/ the sum of % cents each, the amount
! paid above the rates chargeable under
! the city ordinance. 1t was said today
that four different attorneys Of the city
were preparing to bring suits for
large number of telephone patrons who
/ are anxious to test out the rates.
/ Herman Ordinance Now in Force.
/ The new Herman ordinance, which
amends the old city ordinance which
said nothing about charges for party
| lines or telephone accessories, such as
extension sets and bells, etc, became
operative Tuesday without the sigma
| ture of the mayor.
Mayor Ingledue was not in the city,
and why he failed to sign the ordinance
is not known. City Solicitor Northup
was asked if he knew why the mayor
had seen fit to allow the ordinance to
become law without his signature,
and said that he did not know further
than the mayor had informed him that
he guessed he would let the ordinance
become a law without his signature.
| SCHOOL OFFICERS CHOSEN.