Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-03-12

In response to this letter by Mr..
Whitman, the meeting today was held.
1t seems that after Mir. Whitman sent
his letter inviting this conference the
! Minnesota state railway commission
with the same idea in view called up
on the'@representatives of the sam
companies to confer with the commits
sion at the capitol in ST. Paul yester-
day and the Associated Press reports
TO-DAY carried the following
lei
! Only Ono System iii Minnesota.
st. Paul, Mimi. March 12.-Every
city and smaller community in Mime
sofa will have but one telephone sys-
TEN as q result of negotiations enter
ed into by the Bell and Independent
companies, it was announced today by
Ira E. Mills, chairman of the. state
railroad n warehouse commission.
According to Mr.. Mills, a similar sit
uation VIII exist throughout the coun-
try. Protests of business men against
alleged inconvenience and double ex-
pense of two telephone systems are
mainly responsible for the movement,
Mr.. Mills said. His statement followed
a series of conference between G. w.
Robinson, president of the Tri-State
Telephone and Telegraph company,
and Guy IL. Pratt. general commercial
superintendent of the Northwestern
(BelD Telephone Exchange company,
leading companies operating sys-
TENS in this territory.
When news of the spreading move
ment reached the commission, Chair
man Mills quietly arranged conference
es with representatives Of the leading
companies and they are said to have
promised the result desired. California.
MIR. Mills said, already has eliminated
duplicate telephone systems.
Minnesota probably will be divided
into zones, according to MI. Mills, one
big company being assigned a n
oily of the. northern half and the other
the south. Regulatory power of the
commission will restrain any tendency
toward unreasonable rates through
loss of competition.
One of the participants in today's
conference to whom the Associated
Press report was shown, said:
THE report is somewhat mislead-
ing. for the Minnesota conference was
OF ldentically the same nature as the,
conference held today by the repre-
sentatives of the telephone exchanges
with Mr.. Whitman's committee"
Go to st. Paul Tonight.
The representatives of the telephone
exchanges return tonight to st, Paul
and on Thursday they will meet again
with the railroad commissioners Of
Minnesota in all effort to arrive at
such an adjustment of conditions as
That there will result a division and
distribution of territory for the pur-
pose OF eliminating duplication of
service.
1T is Imperative that this should be
done at the earliest convenient mo-
ment because construction work in the
northern country will 500 begin and,
among others, the purpose is to avoid
o~upllcatlOn OF copper and other ma
terlals of great value to the govern
ment in war times: it is estimated
tnat the saving in this line alone
through the proposed action will run
into the millions of dollars.
Helping tho Government,
The telephone exchanges have Civ
en- up generously of their experienced
nelp and employees to the government
ooth Tor service in the national army
n also in connection with the tele-
phone service for the army in France:
n this also is a factor to be consid-
ered,' was h statement made, this
afternoon. The government is deep;v
interested in service of the highest
degree of efficiency"
Al the conference today h
oennite was concluded and 1t was de-
clded to postpone the conference sub
Ject to the call of Chairman Whitman
VINO was to be kept posted by G. w,
hoolnson and G. II. Pratt as to the
minnesota developments but it is the
of opinion of ali who we've
present that the matter would he denS
nlteiy determined within the next few
weeks and that a solution satisfactory
to all may be devised.