The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1914-03-13

do this. He said the Bell company
had a way Of giving out a great deal
of false Information to mislead the
public in regard to the telephone
business. Ell said one Impression
that the Bell company was trying
to create was that II was cheaper
for any community to have one com
pany doing all Of the telephone bust.
ness than two competing companies.
Mr.. NELL said this was far from
being the truth. To prove this he
cited st. Cloud as a city that under
one company paid $4,000 In a year
for telephone service, while Redwing.
with twice the number of telephones
paid $4,000 a year. He spoke Of
/ the National Telephone association of
America as a body that existed fer
the purpose OF giving the public
true information on the telephone
business and said he was going to
ask the directors of the Mankato
Citizens Telephone company 10 ap.
lpropriate 800 to the support of the
association.
Manager Ferguson here remarked
| that he would like to have every
stakeholder make II point TO get
new telephone subscriber during the
coming year.
Wants Telephone Connection.
DR.. ]. w. Andrews said that for
many years he had been talking for
law that would compel telephone
companies to connect up so that 1t
would not be necessary for a place
like Mankato TO keep so many
Telephones. He said all OF his hear.
ers without doubt knew the history
of The bill that had passed both
houses of the legislature and never
became law. He Said the people
should see that the next legislature
did not adjourn without passing
law that would compel the Bell Tele-
phon company to connect up. II
was a great tax for any business man
to have two telephones, one for
local service and the other for long
distance. He did not think II Just
that the. girls Of the Citizens Tele-
phone company should be compelled
TO handle nearly all OF the local
calls. The Northwestern had made
desperate efforts to down the indie
pendent company, even to the extent
OF furnishing a large number Of
telephones. free Of charge. At the
same time, II anybody wishes to use
these telephones for long distance
calls. where there was no compe-
tition. he had to pay double what he
ought to pay, and much more than
the independent companies charged
for like service.
introduced Mr.. Hance.
DR.. Andrews spoke of Henry f.
Hance as one of the early promo
tiers OF THE Mankato Citizens Tele-
phone company and said that II It
were not for the bulldog" presist-
ency OF Mr.. Aimee, the city might
never have had either an independent
telephone system or street car
system. He asked Mr.. Hance to
speak.
Mr.. Hance said there had been
times when the local independent
company he'd had the Bell company
on the run. II the stockholders would
start out to do what the manager
asked. this company could soon be
the only telephone company in Man
kato. The Citizens company was
! doing we'll. but it ought to do still
better. Every stakeholder should
start out to get a new subscriber.
At the close of the meeting, the
stockholders. consisting of both ladies
and gentlemen, walked over to the
headquarters Of the company on Hick.
DRY street and inspected the new
switchboard and other improve
ments. They saw the whole OF the
inner workings Of the system. and
watched the girls at work ceaselessly
making the connections. Cigars were
handed out to the gentlemen and
boxes of candy to the ladies.
The banquet last night was served
by the first two divisions of the
Methodist church, Of which Mrs. s.
II. Grannis and Mrs. T. II. Foley are
chairmen.
| Manager Fersuson's Report
r. NJ. Ferguson. manager OF the
Mankato Citizens Telephone com
pany, submitted the following re-
port:
The following is an account OF the
telephones In operation showing the
net gain of each class of service for
the year ending January ], 1914. The
net gain of each of the sub-ex-
changes does not appear. 50 | here
with give an account of same.
Mapleton shows a net gain. "
Good Thunder shows net gain IL
Eagle Lake shows net gain.
Mankato rural shows a net gain rs
Mankato local shows net gain 232
To,a, .!...... sos
Madison Lake, loss ............ 4
| Total net gain ............ 299
REPORTS OF TELEPHONES.
Business telephones
II