Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1919-11-04
Granted Increased Rates
State Railroad Commission Hands Its Decision on Satur
day. Granting All That For Which the Wausau
Telephone Company Asks

Realizing that telephone service
could not be continued at present
rates, early in 1918 the directors of
the Wausau Telephone Co., began
work on a proposed new schedule
which in their judgment would insure
to this city and surrounding commun-
:ty a continuation of the high class OF
telephone service to which it had been
accustomed in the past. This was no
easy task The directors had to face
it from the standpoint of the subscrib-
er who had no financial interest in
the company as well as from the point
of view of the investor who did not
have any telephone service. The ac-
tual fling of an application for au-
thority to increase rates was delayed
from month to month under the hope
that the end of the war would see a
gradual reduction in operating costs.
This hope died hard. 1t was not till
five months after the signing of the
arnistice that the directors reluctant
ly acknowledged that there was to be
no return to pre-war prices and
that the consensus of opinion
among men informed as to the
trend of the times was that the prices
for all kinds of materials and supplies
would advance for an indefinite period
and this of course included the corol-
larry that labor would advance like
wise.
With the above facts in mind the
Wausau Telephone Co., on May 8th,
1919, filed an application with the
Railroad Commission of Wisconsin for
IN re hxrY
ting the following schedule into effect:
Business Service Per Month
Single line-joint $500
IL mile zone outside
| city OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ----- 4.UO
Single line city -----------------3 $50
warehouse city ---- 200
Two Party-city ---------------- 800
Extra or additional single line 200
Extension telephone, full auto
| matte - --- 100
Answering telephone, talking set
only ------------------- so
Extension bells - .25
Extra directory listing, same bus
Residence Service
Single line, city ----------------$2.O 90
| " mile zone outside
city ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .5O
Four party line, city --------- 15O
y! 4" Y mile zone out
! side city 200
Four party line outside " mile
I zone $50
Extension telephones, full auto
] matte .75
Answering telephones, talking sets
only ------------------------- sc
Extension bells - .2E
Extra directory listing of roomers
C mo. min.) Observation-Disclosures .25
Rural Service
II party rural magnetic --------- Isl
The hearing in this case was held
in the City Hall in Wausau, June 10
1919.
In its decision, which fills II pages
of type written matter the Commission
has this to say among other things
THE present exchange of the Wau-
sau Telephone company is of the au-
tomato type, which has been in opera
ton since 1905. Automatic equip
ment eliminates manual operation
thus reducing the large labor cost
found in the latter type of exchange
ue HAcu dlu IudlHlcudHCt COSlS, HOW'
ever, are somewhat heavier in the au.
tomato system than in the manual
Fluctuations of demand upon the Sys
tenn do not appear to cause any low
ering of the standard of service. Alb
solute secrecy is an exceedingly val
liable feature of this class of service
In the Wausau exchange it is noted
that $50 of the telephone lines are
single as distinguished from party
lines, which tends to maintain efficient
service" (Note-The figures show
979o of the lines, the Commission
probably is taking the number of tele
phones in this comparison.)