The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-05-07
PHONE COMP ANIES
TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF MINE 1! Law
Although Measure Passed By Recent
Legislature Does Not Go Into Effect
Until July Rates Are Charged.
BOOSTS IN BEM1DH PRICES
State Collects $2ss, 600 in Taxes for
First Nine Months Of Fiscal Year
Public Examiner, Active

Last Saturday, though few Bemidji
residents are aware Of the fact, tele.
phone toll rates from Bemidji to ali
points in Minnesota! and Iowa were
Increased as a result OF the passage
of the Minette bill by the last legis.
lature eSzEE
The Northwestern telephone com
pany, which operates In Bemidji, and
other companies of Minnesota are
it appears, re-arranging their rates in
compliance with the provisions of
the Minette measure, which will not
go into effect until July first. It
places the companies under the imme-
diate supervision of the State Rail-
road and Warehouse commission.
Commission Now Notified.
Although changes in toll rates
were made last week in Bemidji and
other places the commission has Just
received information to, that effect.
In some of the places the changes
are increases and in others they are
decreases Bemidji is not SO fortunate
for all her changes are in favor of
the company.
To Talk to the Cities.
Before last Saturday It cost the
Bemidji citizen so cents for the first
minute and 40 for the second minute
to talk to Minneapolis and st. Paul,
but now he must pay 65s cents for
the first minute and 40 cents for the
additional minutes The Duluth
rate was formerly IS and Is cents
but is now so cents and IS cents.
All other tolls within the state and
Iowa have been increased. There is
a possibility that new changes will
be announced after July l..
Companies Given Chance.
Until July 1 the commission has no
power over telephone rats and adj
vances may be made, in toll charges
before that time without their per-
mission.
The two months intervening be-
fore the law becomes effective will
give the companies an opportunity to
iron out their tariffs and place them
in, such shape that complaints will
be reduced to a minimum.
Must File Tariffs at Once.
All telephone companies will be
required under the new law to file
complete tariffs with the commission
Immediately. These tariffs must re-
ceive the approval of the commission.
Accounts must be kept in a man
ner to be prescribed by the commits
sion.
Has Been Increased.
Since Public Examiner Andrew E.
Fritz and his assistant, Corporation
Examiner J. o. Davis, began an in
vestigation some months ago into the
telephone gross earnings tax situa-
ton, the number of companies report
ing has greatly increased.
Get in More Cash. "
During the fiscal year ending July
81, 1914, GAG telephone companies
paid gross earnings taxes aggregatine
$22O,218.O2. For the first nine
months of this year the number OF
companies reporting has jumped t.
1,401, with about 800 yet to be heard
from and the tax already collected
amounts to $23S,290.59. -.
The figures have been prepared by
Walter J.. Smith, state treasurer
Many of the companies are small
rural lines, which are in many in
stances paying up back taxes for a
series of years in order to avoid the
payment of interest and penalties as