Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1912-05-21
ASKS WHY MORE PEOPLE, BOTH
TOWN AND COUNTRY, DON'T
HAVE PHONES.
TELEPHONE COMPANY GIVES
FACTS ABOUT SERVICE
Shows Ttat the Cost Of Equipment 20
Install .systsm 10 Greater. Than
Either Street Car, Electric Lights or
Gas-How the General Public Use
System Without Pay.

The following letter was received a
short time agof rom one of our sub
scribers:
Marshalltown. Iowa. April II, 1912.
Dear Sirs: Would it not be possible for
you to get out a circular letter and
mail to your non subscribers, trying
to induce them to put in telephone in
their homes? How many families in
the city do not have telephones? You
may be sure these people do use tel
ephones and somebody else has to- pay
for them.
l am a subscriber on four party
line. l have gone to my phone dozens
Of times in day wishing to use it.
only to find a neighbor, who is not a
subscriber, using anothH phone on my
line and have been compelled to wait
to use my phone which pay for. while
somebody uses It who does not pay for
1t. There are too many borrowers"
in the use of telephones.
l have been called out of bed In the
morning and also called after had re-
tired for the night to summon neigh
Dor &c ny phone to talk to some one
who was borrowing another's phone.
We do not wish to offend our neigh
bors. but how can we manage with
CT. ac::s GO. r. sc: chem &c pr: :. ::!!:c::7.
own telephone? For the trifling sum
Of 10 cents per day how can they
be without one? I have talked with a
good many subscribers and they feel as
do about this.
Very sincerely yuors,
A SUBSCRIBER.
To Subscriber.
telephone utility is a very annoy
ing one both to the operators and the
subscriber. Unlike street railroads,
gas. electric light and water. we get
paid for only small part of the serv-
ice we render. We miss the revenue.
you pay more than you should for the
service you demand. but worse. you fail
to get service and we are overburdened
with dead heads. We have adopted all
sorts of schemes that this letter is too
short to relate and have come to the
conclusion that the remedy Is either.
with YOU by simply refusing to give
constant borrowers service or with us
in adopting measured service, which
prevails in most large cities and has
the approval Of telephone engineers
and of public, utility commissions.
low fixed fiat rate toacoveF= cost OF in
stailation and tfen d graduated scale
Of prices based upon the number Of
conversations orescalls made. In this
way each one pays for exactly the.
amount Of service received. You get
better promptsseyvice and do not allow
unauthorized parties to use your
phone beca,Ite Il cost you money AS
it is now its.eostSsus money, and you.
only delay and. and so you tolerate 1t.
Thur sday when whistles blew for the
Des Mones boosters as high as 30
per cent Of the tights on some sections
lighted and as the inquiry as to what 1t
meant was TO the operators. 1t was
many minutes before they got the calls
answered. Some one on important
business had to wait. Hundreds Of peo-
pie come to Mafshalltown daily and
use the phone without pay and yet the
investment to furnish this service is
greater than that to furnish street cars
electric light, gas or water and yet II
vol, use either you must pay for the
quantity you use.
In many cities. particularly Denver.
no self respecting person would think
Of using your phone without rendering
a nickle and the subscriber accepts 1t
and SO reduces the annoyance and the
persistent non subscribers find 1t
cheaper to subscribe.
MARSHALL TELEPHONE COM
PANY.