The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-11-17
THE PUBLIC DEMANDS
AN IMPROVED SERVICE
A Strong Petition to the Public Utilities
Board Asks That the Electric Line
Be Compelled to Improve Service

with one stone" Neither will a sat
isfactory investigation into the tele-
phone service that is being rendered
in this city require any more of their
time than they care to give it. They
can get practically all the information
they may desire on this subject from
any Of the many who are required to
pay the highest possible rent for the
worst imaginable service. During al
mostTa years residence in Farming
ton. the writer has never heard re-
mark that could possibly be construed
into anything even approaching a,
compliment of any feature of the SER
vice that is generally supposed to be
rendered by telephone companies; but
we have heard hundreds of criticisms
of the Service" for which this COM
pany is collecting good money from
the people--none of which was par
ticularly gentle.
Perhaps one of the worst things in
regard to the inefficiency that sticks
out so glaringly in regard to this tel
ephone company is that, not being
satisfied with an abnormally high
rent, even if the service was good,
this company insists in collecting at
least one extra toll for every call to
the Lead Belt. And we say zone" ad-
visedly. This reminds us that we have
heard of the strife that arose some
years ago in regard to the charging
of an extra toll between Pennington
and the Lead Belt. The upshot Of
that little disagreement resulted in
the formation of another telephone
company, which gave free service be-
tween this city and the Lead Belt, un-
til the monopoly" bug got into the
system of the new company, which
resulted in their absorbing the ell
der concern-and then the Lead Belt
| toll was again tackled on-and has
| been on ever since.
We believe the telephone users of
this community are becoming as
greatly aroused over the abuses to
which they have long been subjected
by the inefficiency Of such service as
they were when the competing tele-
phone system was installed, and aie
! ready to go to as great lengths in OH
der to secure relief from what many
are free to call "hold-up." But their
i indignation need not lead them in the
same direction. The State Public
Utilities Boards duty is to afford just
this relief. All that should be neces-
sary in order to get prompt and
thorough action from this Board is in
| formation that things are not alto
gether right with some public utility
and the Board will doubtless insert Its
investigation point forthwith.
We know and thoroughly under
stand that this. telephone company
has been offering, as a sort of an off
set to all complaints, that they were
on the eve of making extensive i'm
provements in their service. Such eX-
cuses have been offered ever since the
4 writer has lived in Pennington, anc
we suppose it has long been a positive
asset of the company. But now that
there is every reason to believe thai
relief is now in sight in regard tt
regulating this old, old trouble, The
Times believes it would be absolutely
. lust, right and fair to compel the tel
, ephone company to refund to its pa
, irons, either in cash or in added ser
vice, fair rebate for the big over
charge they have long been extortinl
; from their patrons. Surely if larg'
/ portion of the money that has beei
collected for telephone rents" ha
been excessive, then the one way t.
! make amends is to see that the ex
tortionate amount is returned to it
! rightfuL owner. The Times believe
} the Public Utilities Board has it il
= their power to see that such an orde
{ is complied with, and our good peo
pie will not only expect, but will than
them for, a just relief from this eX
S cessive and unjust burden.