Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1919-01-01
THE TELEPHONE SITUATION
No.


The Rutland Herald, under the cap /
ton. The Orleans Telephone Tur- F.
moil," says: zZas
Orleans county has been q mael- /
stror of telephone turmoil for the
mast 10 or u wears. and hardly leg
islative session or state admins
tration has been free from the eman-
ations of that turmoil
During the Fletcher administration
the various problems OF rates and
service got into court, and the wnoIe
situation was stirred up from the
bottom. with the result that it was
finally bequeathed to the Gates ad,
uinistration with the cases stun
pending. Then. by agreement, the
matter was dropped, no reduction In
rates being made, but the company
agreeing to expend the difference IN
lettering the service and 10 make
no changes in the rates for two
years.
: Now that the two years are up, the
telephone company undertakes 70 put
Orleans county on the same basis ana
with the same service as other coun-
ties in Vermont, following out its
original plans, but also conforming
to the government order 10 straight
en- out determinations and inequall-
ties in rates. Hence the turmoil
The Herald once said that Orleans
county was not really q part OF Yer
mont, but a sort of independent COM
monwealth, its people having ideas OF
their own. practices OF their own ana
evidently seeking TO create by usage
business laws of their own They DO
not care particularly what the rest
OF the state does or thinks, Just so
their own little interests, perqulsltes
and plans are not interfered with
Most people viii wonder why, IN
the name Of common sense, Orleans
county telephone users should expect
TO have free service throughout the
county when Rutland county pays
tolls outside its own exchange areas
The answer would take 8 whole page
of this issue, but in a general way II
Is as follows:
The little republic TO the North
was once strung with farmers lines
and independent telephones, most OF
them home-built and all OF them IN
der semi-amateur management, with
a service running from fair 10 poor
and from poor TO nothing Ultimate
" most Of these lines were taken
over by the New England company
and the service improved. Mean
while, the old rates and old arrange
ments stood. Now the whole service
must come under some equitable ar
rangement, and naturally the Or
leans county habitants object
The Herald suggests that II the
wicked telephone company is trying
to grind the faces Of these sturdy cit
liens Of the soil, they have an instant
and immediate remedy-a balm IN
Gilead and bright snd morning star
of hope.-Mr. Burleson.
Sippe the Herald writes with such
D. perfect, complete and thorough
knowledge of Orleans county and its
telephone situation perhaps II viii
tell Us wherein the telephone COM
pany has bettered its Orleans county
service. which the Herald says Il
agreed 70 do when its case was drop
ped during the Gates administration
Perhaps the Herald VIII tell Us why
the telephone company blames the
proposed toll plans hare 10 increased
cost Of labor and material instead OF
saying that the present proposal wa:
its original plan. as the Herald say:
It was?
Perhaps the Herald will tell Us WI!
the telephone company has failed u
take subscribers into its confdenc
and tell them that the government
has ordered determinations and in
CAPABILITIES TO be Strengthened out, q
the Herald says II has?
There are other questions which "
would be pleased to have the Heral
answer, such as this: Why does III
telephone company list subscriber
whose lines all run into the same ex
change, under two headings, askin
one list Of subscribers 10 pay toll I
talk with the other list when bot
lists are taken care OF by the sam
exchange? But since the first tire
questions are brought out by tn
Herald itself. Orleans county viii b
interested 70 hear them answered