The Bienville Democrat. [volume] (Arcadia, Bienville Parish, La.) 1912-1980, 1921-12-22

had felt thp StI1G OF imposition ny nav
inc TO nav more moMcy in order to get |
> telephone. felt it his duty to intro |
drcr a bill in the legislature TO ap- |
uropriatc &25,O00.oO to investigate the
olrairS Of the e. r. 4 I, & and see if |
thpy were really i'll distress, but other |
members Of that august body thought /
if would be more economical for the |
stat, to spend 100000 in wages and
lost time in order to defeat this bill
than it would be to 60 ahead and make
the donation and probably mearth
something that would relieve the pc0- |
ole Of the state Of burden that had
been unjustly thrust upon them.
We make application in Arcadia Tor
a telephone and maybe we get It and
maybe We don't. If YOU are fortunate |
enough to get your telephone, the first |
duty ven owe to the company is three |
dollars and fifty cents Installation |
charge ana two dollars and forty |
cents rentals in advance or a total of |
five dollars and ninety cents, and then |
if circumstances are such that you
have to move and you want your tele-
phone moved You are again called upon
to pay three dollars and half as a |
removal charge. and SO it is that you
are always paying for that said EFFI-
GENT SERVICE. and you wind up
very much like Ponce de Leon who in
yadcd the Wilds of Florida il search
Of the "F0untain Of perpetual youth."
But many Of us would be satisfied IF
we could get telephone by paying all
the charges, etc. required by the com
pany, In one neighborhool in Arcadia
there are five standing applications fer
telephones that were made months ago,
but for some reason the company is
unable to give the much advertised
service.
In the c. Y. 4 T. C''s application for
raise in rates, one of their contcn-
tons was that they wanted to make
improvements. extend their lines, ETC.
Although Arcadia was called upon and
made to pay the increase in rates or
lose the phone service they have never
received their proportion of the i'm
pr0vemcnts which were 70 be given I'M
der the new rate. The c, Il. & 7. G.
cannot say that is is impossible to get
material, labor. etc. because it is
plentiful, and we are sure that they are
not shy Of the cash. They cut off Ia
b0r curtailed other operations when
their business demanded more labor
and greater operations. Such things
have assisted very materially in aiding
the already depressed condition and
have added to the ranks of the unenl-
pldyed. The highest salaried officials
of some corporations are the fellows
who can figure out way in which
they can get people to work forlwageS
that mean only scant living ard
make the public believe they are get
ting something that they are not
If the C. II. & II. G. wants a fran
chiSe for certain number of years in
a city Or town their money seems to
: Immediately accumulate in immense
sums, as was the case in Shreveport
when they wanted a new franchise
We all remember the proposition they
made Monroe when they wanted to in
crease the rates and Monroe let up
yell.
! We think the people overlooked a
{ bet when they failed to dig into the
telephone company's affairs and fine
out if they were really entitled 10 al
: increase in rates, and if they were ii
need of money grant the increase, ant
if they were not in need Of money de-
mand that they give service.
We understand from reliable author
ity that some changes will be made il
: the local management shortly, and il
our informant correctly stated thu
facts, the contemplated changes will no
help the service in Arcadia, but vii
serve to curtail their present force ant
: cut down expenses and in this wa,
5 again increase their revenue.
What the people in Arcadia want i
service. The kind of service that tn,
Cumberland Telephone & Telegraph
Co. make you pay for and the kind the!
f advertise that they give to the public
t The local management and the oper
& ators cannot give you service unles
3 the company make it possible for then
$ to do it, but the company can make
: Goat out of local employee be
! cause the people register kick.