The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1916-04-13


rate than we are now proposing. Dam
vile Is offering franchise at present
at $500 for residence and $500 for
business phones to be sold the 18th. Of
this month. which is a considerable in
crease Of the old rate. II Mr.. Bastin
made anv money out Of this system. IL
was for two reasons, that he did not
spend any money in improving it and
he and his boys did all the work. We
venture the assertion that IL Mr.. Bas-
tin and his boys had given the same
time to any other vocation or business
they could have made twice as much
money as they did out Of the telephone
business. The City Of Lancaster owes
a debt of gratitude to Mr.. Basin in
furnishing Sl.OO service as long as he
did. for he could not have done so, had
not his own family done the work.
The present management is required
TO hire all of it, labor and the increase
in the telephone rate is an absolute
business necessity. We believe that
the great majority of the people who
are business men and understand bus
mess conditions will see the business
of our position. We regret that those
who are prejudiced and don't under
stand the situation should undertake to
arouse any feeling against the Com
pany because we have as much money
invested in Garrsrd County as any
other enterprise and are entitled to
just and fair treatment.
3: There is also some talk of another
telephone company. OF course, we can
not prevent the organization of another
company. The service that they will
be able to render may not be worth
over 81 90. because you could not talk
over it farther than they build their
lines, which will be of course local. We
haze established system where you
can remain in your business house or
residence and talk to any place in the
State. When the old system was first
established you could only talk over
about forty phones and to but few peo-
pile. Now you are able to talk to thous-
ands. Ii another Company should be
established in Lancaster il would only
be an additional expense and cost to
the citizens and business men as Is
shown by the experience of all other
towns where two companies have been
operating. 1t would necessitate all
business houses to have two phones
and thereby creating double expense.
and you would not get any better SER
vice from the two systems than you
get from the system that we are now
operating.
We are here to stay and to operate a
telephone exchange and do a telephone
business according to legitimate bust
ness principles and to the laws of the
land.
4: On account of the foregoing reas-
ons it is necessary that we should apply
the raise heretofore made. that is, 81 so !
for residence phones and 81. 90 for bus |
mess phones. If a subscriber does
not care to pay thess rites we will re-
move his phone. as we can not furnish |
telephone service at the old rates with
out losing a great dePl of money.
s: We have taken the old open and |
strung wires off of the streets and sub
stituted cable distribution and have
taken the poles off the Square and plac-
ed them in the alleys and have thus
greatly helped the looks of the Square
and streets as well as to give much bet
ter service under the metallic system. /
If We had not made these improvements
since we have had charge of the plant |
it would have been all on the ground |
and YOU would have had no telephone |
service at all. We respectfully ask the |
citizens of Lancaster to give US a fair
and just consideration and we assure
them again that the rates we propose
are among the lowest in the State of |
Kentucky. and there is nothing excess
i've about them, whatever.
Respectfully submitted.
THE BASTIN TELEPHONE co. |
BY j. X. Cornn. |