The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1950-12-07
LOCAL CENTRAL
OPERATORS BACK
after WALk0UT
State Utilities Makes InveSti-
CATION Following Township
Protest
Telephone Company Representa-
tive to Meet Richland
Trustees Here

Mounting complaints against Bluff
toms telephone service, some of long
standing, appeared this week to be
headed for full dress airing with
the state public utilities commission
and Richland township trustees TAX
ing leading roles.
The showdown was touched off last
Thursday when three women operat-
ors at the local central office walked
off their jobs. The walkout, of short
duration, was repeatedly in protest
over working conditions and manage
ment of the Bluffton exchange. Tele-
phone service was not interrupted as
a result of the controversy.
Maurice Mahoney, local manager
of the Bluffton system, said Tuesday
that the operators who left their
posts at the central exchange on
Thursday had returned to work the
following day after differences had
been ironed out in conference with
officials of the Telephone company.
George Quatman, of Lima, company
president was reported here Thurs
day to confer with the operators.
PUC0 Investigation
In the meantime, an investigation
of local service by the Public Utilities
Commission of Ohio made in mid
November eliminated another phase
of dissatisfaction.
The PUCO investigation stemmed
from action taken by the Richland
township board of trustees, protest.
ing alleged unsatisfactory service
rendered by the telephone company,
especially as it related to rural fire
protection.
In their complaint, the trustees
pointed to annual payments of $3.50
for fire protection contracts with
Bluffton and Beaverdam, and alleged
the condition of rural lines was such
that telephone calls for help in farm
fires were subject to unreasonable de-
lay.
Lines Out
President Quatman said he has a
PUCO report showing that when the
investigation was made here on No
vember Is few lines were out of
order due to rain, but that these were
back in service by noon the next day.
The PUCO report is said to have
further informed Quatman that the
complainant who requested the in
vestigation agreed that Service is
more reliable" in Bluffton now than
when the complaint was filed. In
vestigation of the complaint was
made by Luther Leggett, of Marys-
vile, PUCO engineer.
Further airing Of the township
complaint will come at special call
ed meeting of the board of trustees
this month, with J. p. Coleman, per-
sonnel manager of the telephone COM
pany. Date for the meeting has not
yet been set, according to Ray Hilty,
township clerk.
In the vote on the protest motion
precipitating the PUCO investigation
Trustees Albert Augsburger and
Jesse Yoakam voted "yes" with Fred
Badertscher third member of the
board not voting.
Long Distance Mixup
Last weeks airing of the service
situation also again brought up the
question of additional long distance
lines for Bluffton patrons, which were
promised at an early fall hearing be-
fore the PUCO in Columbus.
p. w. Stauffer, who represented pa
irons at the hearing, was notified by
Quatman on November 81 that two
additional long distance lines soon
would be in operation, but Mahoney
said Tuesday that the new facilities
We're not yet in use.