The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-06
BELL COMPANY BUYS
INDEPENDENT PLANT
H. Vance Lane Bids 81 200, 900
and Gets the Prop
erty.
Continued From Page One.

toriy. If the company gives good serv-
Ice and keeps the rates at a reasonable
tition. but II the company fails in either
competition is sure 10 come. Nothing on
earth can keep it OUT said Elmer b.
Jones, the man responsible for the or, or,
Telephone company to Tribune repre-
sentative Monday night Mr.. Jones had
retired for the night when he was asked
TO give an interview on the history OF
the Independent Telephone company In
Salt Lake. He courteously agreed and
clad in pajamas and bath robe, talked
for a half hour on the telephone situation
as il now exists in Salt Lake.
The Bell Telephone company. by which
mean the American Telephone and
,Teiesraph company;n, he said has .ls
inferior service. The parent company
wants as little OF competition as possible
and for that reason. If no other ] be
lieve the people OF Salt Lake may expect
same lime. rates must be kept within
the reach Of everybody, 1t Is true that
with the large exchange that will have
To be maintained In Salt Lake rates will
have 10 be raised trifle. Unlike many
other kinds OF business as the tele-
phone business Increases. the operating
the rates naturally will be put up some,
Principle Still Lives.
'Tn the study of independent telephony
find that 1t is coming To- be a thing of
the past in large measure. The Bell
company is taking over independent
plants everywhere, but the principle that
brought them into existence has not dis
appeared and the company that expects
To operate at its own sweet will, regard
less OF the wants of the public Will con-
front the same demands that brought
The old company to time-the organiza
,ion OF competitive companies. The one
m n,1c -
service is that everybody wants TO talk
To everybody else and In this particular
the Bell company now has at its disposal
the granting OF this desire. Unfortun-
tendency toward laXlty I'm point OF serv
ice when one company dominates a par
ticuar territory
Asked as to the conditions existing I'm
Salt Lake at the time the Independent
company was organized. Mr.. Jones said;
Purely on account OF tile wretched serv-
that time was brought about The organ
iZation OF the Independent company. Also
AT that time the rates were higher than
The Bell company now charges. In keep
ing with general policy. the Bell COM
pany has improved It's service in Salt
Lake. ] maintain that the Independent
GIomnannies corn offering eompetition: have
policy OF the Bell company.
History of Independent.
Utah Independent Telephone company.
In January, 1901. I appeared before the
city council and asked for a telephone
For nearly two ' Years s 'ioep kept at % it, nay sr
securing the franchise under which tho
company operated, In addition ] secured
q franchise in Ogden. In that franchise
] secured as high a maximum rate clause
as ] could II was the highest rate per-
mitted by any independent franchise In
me United States However, before !
Of local capital invested. The contract
with The Stromherg Carlson Telephone
nish S1.00Oooo in money. This money
furnished. together with equipment. was
Increased. and when the company final
people took bonds to the extent OF 81 500
600 and owned a majority Of the stock.
according TO the original contract
! believed that any competitive 'ele-
service at reasonable rates must eventual
" become The dominating company For
two years ] ahored under this dclusiop.
Then it was that realized that unless
local investors were interested this ambi-
ton could never be realized. The lndo-
pendent company had the service. There
The rates were considerably less than
the Bell charged. and yet the company
did not succeed in becoming the com
psny.
"At that time | started out TO make 1T
largely, " not altogether a company OF
local stockholders. ] negotiated for the
purchase OF the controlling interest from
the Stromberg Carlson company and in
the way of an option and preliminary pay
ment raised s5O.0 Later ] ia Id another
s5c.oOO on the purchase OF the stock for
loyal investors. Then the money strin-
sency came on and the first thing ! knew
and that information came through
press reports found that The strom
berg people had sold the controlling stock
and the bonds TO an eastern concern. RI
was ready at that time to 20 east in con-
nectlon with the purchase OF the prop
erty and went ahead. | protested against
the sale on the ground that our contract
10 purchase the stock still was in force