The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1913-05-07
BELL SYSTEM WOULD COME IN
Representative Appeared Before
County Commissioners Mon
day With Proposal

At the county Commissioners
meeting Monday Attorney Alfred
Cohen submitted a proposition on be-
half of the Bell Telephone Company,
whereby the telephone corporation
would take over that part of the
Churchill county telegraph and tele-
phone system running from Fallon to
Wadsworth, commonly referred TO as
the county toll line. This line was
the first constructed when the coun-
ty telephone system was conceived
good many years ago as necessity
connecting up saltwater, then the
county seat, with the outside world.
At that stage in this county's deyel-
opment its population was small,
telephone appliances primitive and
the attractiveness of the local field
was such that private capital could
not be induced to invest, with the re-
suit that imperative need compelled
Churchill county, authorized by
and lay the foundation for the pres
ent system.
II so happened that the system
ew as the county developed until
today the county holdings have
reached a period In their growth be-
yond the expectations of those who,
laid it's foundation. IL is without
a parallel In the United States. The
Bell system, through Mr.. Cohen, its
attorney, argued the viewpoint Mon
day that the local systems pheno-
mental growth and its natural at
tributes arising from the fact that
II was a municipality controlled pub
lie affair, augured for service that 10
not first-class and not commensurate
to the local needs, insofar as long
distance business is concerned.
n order, he said, TO give Fallon |
business the highest class rating that |
can be had with the Use of the Bell |
systems modern appurtenances, a
proposition was submitted that ac- |
cepted, will give TO Churchill county |
a portion of the accruing business |
amounting to 80 per cent on all long |
distance traffic arising in Fallon. In |
return for which the Bell system |
will reconstruct the line from the |
point OF conveyance at Hazen to the |
local telephone system building in |
Fallon; maintain the same and give |
a 20 per cent reduction in It's |
talking rates to Reno. And not only |
this, according to Mr.. Cohen, but the |
entrance of the Bell people will mean
the obviation of the Wadeworth
switching and the county'a further /
use of the ACKNOWLEDGMENT line, |
which is source of considerable ex-
pense and now stands In imminent |
need of rebuilding.
In this connection ii was brought
out at Mondays conference that the
eounty's long distance tolls have been
averaging s110 monthly for several
months and the business is naturally
increasing as the towns growth oc-
ours. The partisans of the county
system aver that the county should
own the utility in its entirety, while
others are predisposed to accept the
viewpoint of the Bell system people
that better service and cheaper
rate of tolls will so greatly Increase
the local business that the 80 per
centum will exceed the present tolls
collected and in addition remove
the need for county maintenance OF
long and expensive line, upon
which there is practically no sub
scribers.
Ii will be remembered In this con-
nection that the Bell system was re-
Gently made the defendent In suit
Instituted by the county in which
an Injunction enjoining them from
entering Fallon with their lines was
sought, but the suit has still to come
TO issue. The meanwhile, the Bell
people insist that the local business
10 not sought by them, only the long
distance traffic being desired Tor
.~~~~~.~~~-s~>~-~s~ >~-~s~.~~es~--ses-s-Ses~s~"