Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-10-07
Telephone Education.

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from batteries located at central and
are kept charged by dynamo driv-
en- by a motor; the current cost
ing from $4,000 to $4,000 per
month. When you take a receiver
from the hook it lights little lamp
and the conversation of two SUBJ
scribers use current equal to an s
candle power electric bulb, the cur
rent for same thus costing us up to
3 cents according to the duration of
the conversation. The reason bust
ness telephone is charged double
rates is to cover the more frequent
use of same. A residence telephone
is figured at half the rate because
the ordinary use of same is very linn
tied and the contract provides that
you limit it's use to ONE family.
The city installs water for SO
cents per month for family use, 25
cents for lawn, and so on up for
each additional consumption and
their contract provides that the
water will be disconnected if you al
low the neighbors to carry it away.
The reason is that it costs money to
pump water. 1t costs us much more
to pump telephone service than it
does the city to pump water. We
have a great many complaints from
our subscribers that their neighbors
tell them that we gave them per-
mission to use the phone. This is
absolutely untrue Under no circum-
stances will We give non-subscrib-
er the right to use any of our tele-
phones. On country lines We use
dry batteries and herein lies a great
source of trouble. Very few people
understand that dry battery has
just SO much current in and NO
MORE and for this reason our con-
tracts and published rates specify
that we will furnish but one set per
year. One set will run our toll sta
tons for more than two years and
with the ordinary use that farmer
SHOULD have would last him much
longer. A dry battery is made as
follows: $780,.
A zinc cup with a center of car
bon, packed with manganese and
saturated with solution of sal
amoniac, then set in a paper cup.
When connected up a chemical ac-
tion takes place producing the cleo
tricity and the element that is used
up is the ZINC CUP. In other words
the zinc cup is to the battery what
gasoline Is to gasoline engine.
When the battery is used up the
transmitter will not work and no
one can hear you. The battery in a
country telephone never leaves the
box, and Is for no other purpose in
the world except to make people
hear YOU talk. If you rubber on the
line you use just as much battery as
If you were talking and the conse-
quence is that in 8 to 6 months they
are weak. II telephone is defect
i've and uses UP batteries we, know
1t the minute we look at the batter
les. When the zinc cup is gone It
lets the solution through onto the
paper cup showing wet spots.
Now right here is where we got
into trouble with Mr.. Hotchkiss. His
batteries had not been out year
and We refused to furnish another
set. We can't make people stop
rubbering bat we can stop furnish
ing batteries for them to waste do
ing SO. II they will rubber they
must buy their own batteries which
We sell at so cents per set We
have taken out three rural tele-
phones for this reason this mont h
and we viii take out so more il
necessary. People invariably claim
they do not rubber but the batteries
tell the story.
Martin Tel. Co.