Little Falls herald., 1914-02-06
chise. accompanied the application and


this@was also read to the council. A
gas committee composed of Attorney A.
n. Vernon and Aldermen L0ucks, Par
shall and Peterson were appointed to
investigate the proposition and report
at meeting to be held Feb. 9.
Alderman Kaliher's ordinance re-
quiring the removal Of telephone, tele-
graph, electric light, power and cable
poles from the streets OF the city
}. where the white way has ,been 7=in-
stalled, was brought in for discussion.
t Fred Specify Of st.. Cloud, district
commercial manager for the North
western Telephone company, was at the
meeting and was called upon to dis
cuss the proposition from the telephone
company's standpoint, as this company
would be affected more than any other.
He said that his delay in coming pe'
fore the council was because the mat
ter came up when the business year
Of the company was nearing a close.
Mr.. Specify outlined the life OF
the local exchange, saying that the
company took over local orgnlza-
tion in 1904, with an old plant and
poor equipment, and put in new local
battery system with the very best OF
equipment. In 1909 the company had
397 patrons, which included farmers,
on the local switchboard. In 1913, at
ter considerable soliciting, the total
number of patrons was increased to
635. In 1909 the company handled
, some over 65O,0OO calls over the local
phones, while in 1913 the calls totaled
over 100000. The local exchange,
said the manager, has IL people, pay
ing an annual salary Of over $4,000
The gross earnings Of the company
averages $1,000 annually, which
leaves $4,000 to take care Of deprecia'
ton, damage to lines, phones and other
incidental expenses. The net earnings
of the company in this city, on an in
vestment Of about 100000, is about
3 l-2 per cent, said the manager. de
said that the company could take its
money out Of the city and loan it te
the farmers at 6 per ceht.
Mr.. Specify state that the cost o.
changing the system in this city wonid
according to figures prepared, amount
to about $4,000. He asked if any
member of the council or any fail
minded citizen would expect a com
pany to make such an expenditure Of
money, without a promised increase Of
revenue. He had blue prints showing
the system and the work required II
changing the system, saying that II
would be practically the same as put
ting in an entirely new plant. Tnf
construction work would have to be
started from the outskirts Of the city
and worked to the center. He held
the ordinance unfair as it had no othe,
view than to beautify the streets Of
the city.
! Should the citizens be willing te
stand an average increase in telephone
rates of $4.00 q year, the compaay
would be willing to remove the tele
phone poles from the white way streets
but this the people would not stand fo1
said Mr.. Specify. The actuai ios'
to the company, according to the DIS
trict commercial manager, would be
$4,000 a year, should they make tht
change under the present clrcum
stances.
\ In order to help beautify the city
the manager offered to paint the tele
phone poles black from the bottom tt
i the light level, white to the top OF th<
light level and green to the top Of thf
poles. He also said that if necessary
the cross arms at the top Of the poles
would be removed, or anything elst
that would be fair. He cited q mum
Der of law cases concerning this mat
/. ter. which had been won by the com