The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1920-12-22
NOW SEEM CERTAIN
RAIL BOARD WILL
DENY PHONE JUMP
Rodv Adjourned Saturday
Without Making Any
Announcement
NOT TO CONVENE
UNTIL JANUARY
IF Cumberland Loses, Will
Take Matter to The
Courts

On the face Of it there will be no
.,rertv-five per cent increase in tele-
nsope rates in Louisiana. The hear
- before the railroad commission
h.s been had and the commission ad-
iourned last Saturday, not to re-con-
vona until some time in January and
hofore # adjourned it failed to hand
down a decision in the matter Indi-
cations. however, point to a summary
rejection OF the telephone company's
demand for an increase in its charge
for services rendered.
To Courts as Last Resort
Anticipating that it will lose out in
its contentious before the commission
the telephone company has practi-
cally. though unofficially, given out
that in case it does lose it propose to
take the matter to the courts for a
final decision.
The opposition to the increase was
led by Commissioner Maloney Of New
Orleans, and it was a vigorous one in
deed. The company, as was stated
in these columns some time ago, did
not 20 before the commission half
prepared, but marshalled a strong
array of legal and technical talent
with mass of conclusive" facts and
figures to present as strong a front
as possible to convince the commits
sion that its claims for an increase
we're absolutely just and in keeping
with the trend Of the times. Mr. MalO-
ney took up the fight in opposition,
stressing the fact that the tendency
Of the times instead of being upward
financially was, on the contrary,
downward and that to hike prices for
anything now was unpopular and in
dieated an intention to profiteer on
a falling market.
Dividends Don't Interest People
The geenral public is not at all in
terested in the matter of dividends
to stockholders granted by the teIe-
phone company. so the company very
frankly stated it needed the money
IN order to put in further extensions
to its Louisiana lines. The boIdness
Of the statement failed to shock the
sensibilities Of the people interested
for the statement was given out some
time ago and sufficient time has
elapsed in which to destroy the first
effect the statement might have had.
II the company goes to court, on
losing out before the commission, it
may be Iong-drawn affair, and be-
fore final decision is arrived at the
need OF further increase will have
passed into history. Cost Of labor and
material necessary to install further
extensions to the company's Louisi-
ana system is falling daily and it will
find, when it gets ready to make the
proposed extensions, that after all the
cost win not be so great as the preli-
minary estimates, based on high cost
Of everything, predicated.
Would "Hike" to Old Cost
Thirty years ago, when telephones
we're novelty except in business, the
cost Of business phone in New Or
leans was about one hundred dollars
per year. The new rate demanded by
the Cumberland would jump the price
back to about the old figure. To this
The patrons object, and their Obpec-
tons are we'll taken-the commission
has practically decided that by its
silence, and we believe the courts will
0lloW suit, when their inning
comes.