The Butler weekly times and the Bates County record. (Butler, Mo.) 1918-1950, 1920-12-30
A STATEMENT
From Farmers Mutual Telephone
System.

10 the citizens OF hutlef ara the
::,,.totkh"lders OF the Farmers MutttaI
telephone Company;
f--dst year when the Butler Rich
I'M Telephone Company applied 70
the Public Utilities Commission to
raise the charge for switching farm
crs telephone lines from four to nine
dollars year tthe- farmers bcarins
an the expense OF building and keep
ing up the ines) the farmers asked
II" laNors OF the city OF Eutier but
employed Attorneys ". @. Jackson
and N. .. MaXey, who convinced the
commission that the telephone com
pany had no right to an increase.
ne telephone company put all
blame Tor the poor service given the
farmers on the condition of the farm
ers lines and made no promise OF bet
ter service to them. More than four
hundred farmers then being switched
by the Butler company. unable to
guess what rates might be put on
them, and informed that the bad Sc
vice was their own FAULT, then began
to form company to establish a cen
trail station in Butler to serve all the
farmer lines. A number OF other far
'ncrs who had been served by the old
company also cut loose from it and
established new farmer lines. And
members of other companies more
distant from Butler and not switched
by the Butler company. bl't having
close business relations with the town
ais" took stock in the switchboard
until about one thousand individuals
outside ri Batter raised nearly six
Thousand dollars. This was invested
in poles Wire, cable, labor, SAich-
board and equipment after IA Drmer
city council had unanimously granted
the Farmers Mutual permission t.
place its lines in town.
! he central plant was SLOW in be-
ING established on account OF the ,.if-
licuity OF obtaining materials but
few weeks ago Was opened Tor tusi-
nt@' end TIL farmers lipc> cut loo
from the Old company.
| y mumbrr oI citizens and business
h"usc, asked for phones and ere al
lowed stock in the Farmers Mutual
Company The farmer, only line to
the husincs, district passes behind
the east side of the square and most
OF the business houses on that side
have Mutual phones. Other business
houses who had applied for phones
could not have them until the com
pany had lines OF poles back OF tn.
other sides OF the square.
About the time these applications
began to be made sudden interest |
in the telephone business was mani
Tested i'll Batter such a, had not been
l., II,
in! the light Tor good service and |
air rates. i
I'm cflor, was made to have the !
commercial Club oppose the tax ing !
of any phones from the farmers
board
The telephone company, which had |
been charging a ten cent rate be
tween Butler and Virginia decided
to abolish the ice and let Virginia
once more connect free Virginia
had helped establish the farmers mu-
tual board.)
The telephone company which had
sold company of farmers near
Spruce its lines there and entered in
to contract to establish no other
lines or switch board found way to
rent another company switch
board land give it free service to
Rrler) at a charge of fifty cents per
month per subscriber
Rumors circulated widely in Butler
OF the many fair offers made by the
telephone company and the arbitrary
refusal by the farmers.
A telephone meeting was called
mot by the Butler Telephone Co..
and at this meeting the Butter Com
pany seemed unable to say how far -,
tie Public Utilities Commission
would permit it to do anything the
farmers wanted. But its one point at
all times was that the farmers should
have no phones in Butler.
Or Tuesday. December seventh,
the officers OF the Farmers Mutual
before the city council in |
Butler and asked permission to es-
ablish poles and wires Conforming
20 the towns requircents in appear
lnce and safety to serve other ap-
Jlicants for stock and phones in the
business district.
The council sent them away to re-
urn at its next meeting
On Tuesday, December twenty first
he committee returned and renewed
is petition. After listening to the !.
armcrs request Mayor Hull called !.
or the reading OF an ordinance which ,
eemed to have been prepared during =
he two weeks the farmers had been
;ept waiting.
The ordinance is one entitled "ro .
egulate telephone companies. 1t
provides that no telephone poles shall
'e placed within two blocks of the
BUSINESS district of the city of Butler.
kept that any company which now
Ids poles in may replace, repair and
sc them
The Butler Company has all the
'oles it can ever need in this dis
riot and is not affected adversely by \
he ordinance. The farmers COM
any has only its lines of poles back
# one side, OF the square and can go
Il no direction except back out of
own. Which seems to be the pur-
ose of the trainers OF this ordinance.