Mountain advocate. (Barbourville, Ky.) 1904-1935, 1917-10-05
WOULD PEN|
PHONE MERGE
BY AMENDMENT
FRANKFORT CHAMBER OF CON-
MERGE GOES ON RECORD /
FOR ONE SYSTEM PLAN
RESOLUTIONS ARE ADoNED
Submission Passed BY General Assem-
bly, With Only One Dissenting
vote--Hlstory OF Competition

The Frankfort Chamber of Com
merce by the action Of its Board Of
Directors is on record in favor Of and
has pledged Its efforts to the adoption OF
a constitutional amendment at the No
vember election permitting telephone
companies operating in this state to
purchase competing lines.
The action of the Chamber Of Com
merce board, taken with a view OF eff
fecting economy by eliminating un-
necessary phones, was given express
sion in the following resolution:
Whereas, the General Assembly at
its 1916 session adopted a Constitu-
tional Amendment to be submitted to
the voters of the state for ratification
at the November, 1917, election, under
the terms of which. with the approval
OF the state authorities and the City
Council of the city in which the tele-
pone companies are located, one tele-
phone company may purchase the
lines Of another, be 1t
Resolved, That the Frankfort
Chamber of Commerce endorse the
adoption Of the Constitutional Amend
ment and urge the voters Of Frank
lin county and the State-at-large TO
vote for the amendment at the ensu-
/ ing November election, and be 1t fur
| Their
Resolved, That the President of the
Chamber Of Commerce be authorized
to appoint committee to aid in what
1 L. I.xfv. exfvs fkA
Constitutional Amendment to the at
tention of the voters and other COM
mercial bodies"
History OF Amendment
The Constitutional amendment
passed by the 1916 General Assembly.
authorizing the purchase Of the tele-
phone lines, passed the Senate with
only one dissenting vote and encount-
cred no opposition whatever in the
House. The representatives of both
parties recognized that only by means
OF this amendment to the Constitution
could the state be saved the annoy
ance and expense Of two telephone
systems in the same community.
Some Of the larger cities, particu-
larly Cincinnati, New York and Wash
ington, early recognized that two tele-
phone systems were an unnecessary
burden on the community and never
granted to more than one company
franchise for a telephone system, with
the result that every telephone user
in each of these cities is in direct
communication with every other sub
scriber,
Burden In Kentucky.
In Kentucky. in the early stages Of
the development Of the telephone busi'
ness, numerous small companies
were organized They did not con-
meet, different kinds of equipment
were used and the standard Of main
tenance was not universal, which re-
tarded the advancement Of telephone
development in keeping with other
states more progressive. Nearly
every community in Kentucky has. at
some time in its history. experienced
hard feelings. as each side had its
partisans, and the. public has been de-
prived of the convenience and econo-
my that one telephone system affords.
The public interest is thoroughly
protected under the proposed Consti-
tutional amendment, as no purchase
can be made without the consent of
the City Council. The passage of the
bill, providing for the Constitutional
Amendment and the practically unani:
nous vote 1t received in the General
Assembly is evidence that 1t was
passed in response to widespread
and popular demand for relief from
present telephone conditions. .a.J