University Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1908-1916, 1912-11-03

| Bell with 1907 at $500 and $1.75
Nearly all business houses have both
phones at cost of $500 a month
Residences having both pay 1925 pei
month.
This is quite a different picture
from the one presented in the COM
parisons presented.
But the Columbia Telephone Com
pany has never suggested it would
furnish service at rates of other
plants for the very good reason that
in most cases those rates will not
yield fair profit, and in many cases
yield no profit at all. Furthermore.
Columbia has a better plant and bet
ter service. than any plant mentioned
of any size, and is not to be COM
pared with but very few. We do not
believe the people of Columbia want
telephone service or anything else at
less than fair price.
AS to telephone rates, it is a fact
that more money has been lost in this
territory. including this part of Mis-
souri, and Eastern Kansas. than a
half dozen ordinary plants are worth.
In the Webb City district, referred
to in comparisons made, the Bell
Company lost s35, 900 last year, and
yet people there were paying for two
telephones. $500 to $3.50 for business,
and residences $3.50.
Fortunately for the people of that
district arrangements have been per-
fected within the past ten days to
consolidate all these plants. The
rates will of course be raised to some
extent so as to yield a profit, but the
total cost to the community will be
much less, and they will not have
the annoyance of two teleDhones.
In the district West of this, includ-
ing Sedalia. Marshall. Carrollton and
some other points the Bell people lost
100000 last year. In Sedalia there
are two plants, so that people must
support two telephones, business
houses paying $500, and residences
having both paying 1925. The Home
of Sedalia never earned a dividend
1t was finally, after precarious ex-
istence. taken over by the Kinloch of
st. Louis to protect it's extensive toll
lines centering there.
Boonville has two systems. About
12 years ago. Col John Elliott and
some of his neighbors concluded the
telephone game was good, so they or
ganized and built plant Read what
Col. Elliott says about his experience.
and he was fortunate as compared
with others.
'Jno. S. Elliott,
Boonville, Mo. Oct. 80, 1912.
Mr.. ]. A. Hudson,
Columbia. Mo-
Dear Sir: Replying to yours about
he Telephone Company will say that
/ party of citizens here organized the
3oonville Telephone Company in 1899
With a capital stock of $4,000, which
vas soon found to be too small to
,uild the exchange, so we operated 1t
IS best we could building and putting
n more money from time to time un-
1f nrfxy thn,,can1 6N1 in, ,
t. We operated the plant for ten
ears and then sold it to the present
wner, Mr.. l.. F. Coulter, at less than ;
lightly cents on the dollar. We found ,
he prevailing prices for service was /:
ntirely too low to maintain the plant i
nd increase it's caapcity. ,
Yours truly, {
(Signed) JnO. E. Elliott" I
Col. Elliott might have said further {
nat the plant was sold by turning it {
yer to Mr.. Coulter, Col. Elliott and i
is associates taking bonds for their :
ntire claim, the purchaser assuming {
ne debts. Mr.. Coulter has added to |
ne plant until he now has an in
estment of $65.OOO, has CSC tele- {
homes at $3.50 and S1.5O, the Bell has q
So, so that Boonville is paying for s
vo telephones. '
In the meantime Mr.. Coulter is
aging no dividend and is trying to G
ell.
But this is not all. The Missouri t
nd Kansas Telephone Company, COW /
ring Western Missouri and Eastern d
ansas, with an exchange at Kansas i
ity paying $500 for business and c
300 for residence service, has lost I
loney constantly for years, the loss {
eaching as high as 1882 900 in a
ngle year, and of course has paid ,
o dividends in all these years. r
At St. Joseph, where there are two t
ood plants, one of these plants lost '
50 900 last year. The rates at st. S
oseph are $500 of business and $3.50 S