The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-07
TELEPHONE MEN
To BE ne TANNED
Employees of Independent Are
Given Assurance by Cen
eral Manager of Bell.
TO COMBINE THE PLANTS
AS WE'LL AS POSSIBLE
Engineers Work Out Plans
Carefully; Scale of Rate In
crease Not Yet Known.

Telephone subscribers as well as en-
public in general manifest keen in
terest i'm the outcome of the taking
over of the Independent Telephone
company by the Rocky Mountain Bell
company Monday when the first named
plant was sold at auction The an
nouncement that the two companies are
to be operated as one system naturally
attracts the attention of telephone
men experienced IN this kind of work.
All agree that combining the two large
plants will be easy task and until the
final combination is effected there VIII
be some speculation as to It's outcome,
according tn the general expressions
heard
Speculation also is heard as to the
disposition of the employees of The In
dependent plant IL. Vance Lane. gen
eral manager or the Bell company, has
sent the following letter to Fred b.
Jones, operating superintendent OF the
Independent company. on the subject OF
employees.
To Retain Employees
F. E. Jones. superintendent. Utah In
dependent Telephone company. salt Lake
City. Utah: Dear Sir-As you axe aware
the ROCKY Mountain Bel IcleIllpIt toNl-
pany this day acquired all Of the property
formerly owned by the Utah Independent
Telephone company. While II is the IN
tentiou OF this company 10 consolidate
The two properties at the earliest possible
date. We desire To assure all present eni-
ployccs thai as long as their services are
satisfactory they viii be retained in sucn
positions as they are most capable oi
filling. In assuming the operation of the
Independent Telephone conIpanys plant
this company trusts TO have con,inu-
,.F .a,ll Il 1n-
ton To duly that has been go manlfcsuy
displayed by your employees.
The matter of bringing about the
working consolidation OF the two
plants will go ahead as rapidly as pos,
sibe. On this subject Mr. Lane said
Tuesday night;
To Consolidate Plants.
.ttThere is nothing to be said at this
time in addition to what already has
been given out. We will proceed care
fully and bring about the change to-
one system Just as soon as our engl-
neers complete plans and an inventory
of the old Independent plant has been
tnken. When the inventory has been
taken. Of course Il will be able TO say
more definitely as to our procedure
Until then I do not know what we will
discard and what we will use. Al tins
early dara following the purchase
believe there is nothing more to be
said -
IS announced several days ago. there
is TO be an advance IN the rates for
telephone exchange service, Mr.. Lane
saws that he is unable to give the eX-
act amount of the increase, but gives
the assurance that the fixed rate will
he much less than the combined ser
vice charges of the two telephones.
The rates prevailing at this time are
$3.50 for individual business telephones,
S36 year for residence individual
service, $40 for service on q two party
line and S24 on four party line.
in making the change the Bell COM
pany will find. it is believed, some
thing over 1000 stations in the city
where duplicate service is not in evI.
dence Most of the Implications OF
service naturally arc found in offices
and business houses. Only Il compar-
atively small number of residences are
equipped with both systems.