The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-10-10
TELEPHONE COMPANY
ISSUES STATEMENT
Council Is Advised as to What
Big Corporation Intends
to Do.
GOES TO COMMITTEE
Consolidation of Lines Is
Pomised by June /, of
Next Year.
GOES TO COMMITTEE

Lake City council that the rates or
telephone service in this city will not
he raised at present. and that every at
tempt is being made and viii continue
10 he made TO give the residents of the
city universal telephone service. a. u.
Mackenzie. agent of the Mountain
States Telephone and Telegraph com
pany. presented TO the city council at
its regular session last evening, com
prehensive statement detailing what
the compay is now doing toward the
consolidation of the service of the old
Rocky Mountain Bell and Independent
Telephone companies and what II VIII
continue to DO until Salt l.a&ers have
bur one telephone in this city.
The statement was discussed by
various members of the city council,
and was finally referred to the commit
tee Of the whole 10 be considered next
Monday night The matter went over
one week in order TO give those
members Of the council who have not
already investigated the matter. time
20 go 10 the Office of the company and
90 over the situation in order that they
might vote intelligently on the qucs-
tiop.
In his communication, which was
read in full by the city recorder, Mr..
Mackenzie gave the council every as
surapce that the company would con-
solidate the service Of the two COM
panies rot later than June Of next
wear, providing, of course. that no un-
forseen accident occurs 10 prevent
such action. The communication read
"not later than June ]. and If 1t Is
possible to effect r consolidation sooner,
the company will certainly do it, &C
cording to Mr.. Mackenzie.
Statement Of Company.
Mr.. Mackenzie. in his statement.
further details the work which now is
under way. describing in detail the
work OF erecting the new Hyland ex
change Office. near the corner OF Eighth
East and Ninth South streets. All or
the supplies necessary for the perfec'
tion of the new system have now been
ordered. and all speed is being made
10 have them ready AS soon as 1t is
possible. according TO the statement,
which follows in full:
To the Honorable Mayor and city
Council. Salt Lake city. Utah
Gcntlemcn-Several members OF the
city council. in discussing the local
telephone situation. have suggested
that ! address tnis commun icntion 10
you TO explain existing telephone
conditions here and 10 give YOU spe-
c.hc information regarding The plans
Of the Mountain states Telephone
and Telegraph COMPANY as far AS
they relate 10 Salt Lake City.
We welcome the opportunity TO
present the situation 10 you and 10
give YOU ali the information desired.
IoT shal o endedyGc hrco" TO puI tag can i'e'S DC
The cas-" may he stated In the fol-
lowing six questions. which have
been astcd:
l. Does TIE Mountain states Tcle-
phone and Telegraph company pro-
pose 10 supply universal telephone
service in Salt Lake City?
,. why not Immediately?
5. What efforts Is the company
msking To give universal service?
5 What would be the effect Of
putting out OF service Immediately
the plant formerly owned and .op-
Grated BY the Utah Independent
Telephone company?
Telephone and Telegraph company
propose To increase its rates in salt
Lake City as result Of the pur-
chase OF the property or tnc tan
Indcn"ndcnt Tclerhon" company?
Answering these questions cate
l. The Mountain States Telephone
and Telegraph company does piv-
pose TO give universal telephone
service In Salt Lake city. This
means that we intend to provide a
unified. modern telephone plant. COY
criuE the field thoroughly and max
inc il possible for every telephone
user 10 communicate with every
other telephone user through one In
strument thus eliminating the ncccs-
siiy ~ having two telephones "a
reach all telephone users in III" CITY,
= Tho service will bc made uni
vcrsal soon as possible and not
later than June l. 1872. assuming
that the company does no, suffer
some c.traordinarN misfortune
through fire or other agency bsyon1
IT. control.
uni-ersaI Immediately. a. physical
obstacles intervene. Tine two exist
ing plants arc moi OF the same type
or tho same manufacture. and II they
were. additional switchboards would
have IN be secured and installed be-
fore thc connection could bc "siah-
ll-hed. Three switchbonrds includ-
inF on" main local switchboard anu
two irlnking swItchhoards. must be
installed before tho service can bo
unified. This gives the fac.s In brief
Full discussion on this point would
hc long and largely tcChnical. but I
believe tho members OF the council
who nave visited the two existing
telephone plants arc able. from tncir
own observation, 10 appreciate the
condition.
Company Is Active,
& Tho company Is making every
effort To- make the service universal
and reiir. tho independent ssrv-
ice. II has bought lot on Eighth
and VIII erect there u thrcc-s- ~
telephone exchange building. which
VIII h. known as "HNlsnd ENcnengc'
and which viii contain a complete.
nc~ telephone plant. connected by
trunk lines With the present OK
change. We expect TO have the con-
Structiou ~ this building under way
within a few weeks and 20 have the
building ready before tho telephone
apparatus hss been received from the
factory All the necessary apparatus
and equipment have been ordered
and arc now In process OF making at
the factory. under toe direct personal
supervision of an engineer Of this
rompans- We have tho assurance of
an unexpectedly early delivery out
side materials required such as
underground conduit cables. etc. arc
already In transit toward Salt Lake
city and tho nrst shipment T. OK
prcted daily Cpmplete detailed work
Ing plans for all the work. inside and
outside. have been made and the
work awaits only the arrival of ma
terial that. OF necessity. has been or
dcrcd from places outside this Cltv
). To put ont of service immcdi-
aieiN too nlent formerly owned and
operated by tho Utah tndcpcuden;
Telephone company would make "a