Show f MORE TELEPHONE FACTS the matter of a municipal telephone Is now the chief topic ot of discussion in tola this community with the preponderance ot of sentiment in favor of 0 a thorough investigation ot of the feasibility ot of such an investment in order to give a little more light on the subjects subject the news got in touch with sir mr F F alan E roche secretary ot of the bear river valley telephone company and asked for a statement showing the growth of that company since its installation in roche submitted the following in the years following the ushering in ot of the century tai the valley people made repeated requests ot of the rocky mountain dell bell telephone company for valley service that would connect up tip the farmers with the towns and villages throughout the valley as well as give them long distance service but time went by until 1903 1905 and nothing was accomplished the formers fa amers finally decided to install a system ot of their own after care carefully fully investigating tho the proposition and the company was organized on the 3rd ard of april 1905 with a capital of 0 with paid up the system was installed with patrons as a beginning and they were all on practically one lino line with no connections with the various cities and towns the first financial statement rendered may 1906 showed tho the total assets of the company to be worth 1 on january octh IS 08 the company had grown to be worth january 1909 total assets january 1st ast 1910 total arsts abts january let 1911 total asasys and on january alst 1st 1912 the assets to an increase of in six years tho list of subscribers has grown from to and the total mileage of wire on the poles is miles which Turnis burnishes hes connections with corinne bear river city lion hon orvllle Dewey villo collingston collinston Colllns Col linston ton deaver beaver dam fielding riverside garland tremonton Tre monton thatcher point lookout penrose and clue blue creek the near bear river telephone supplies individual 2 party parity 4 party and up to as high as 10 party line service each is rahe peytr p 9 minimum pt of cost for service ll OTter month and ali that at elves each patron free fre service over evier the entire system with no charge tor for connections from one town to another this is somewhat different from the rule in cache county for instance where here the bell company Is in absolute control there phone patrons are charged 5 cents tor for every call between two cities or towns in the bear river valley a phone patron can talk to a friend or acquaint acquaintance ence forty live five miles distant for nothing his monthly rental price entitling him to tree free service to any point on the system any and all tho the time in all fourteen villages and towns aro are connected up and the line comes within a very few miles ot of brigham city Thel company owns its own building in tremonton Tre monton a comfortable brick structure and the services of two girls night and day constantly are required to handle the bustness business at times three girls are necessary in the day time the company has paid its stockholders a dividend every year since its organization ranging from 8 to 10 per cent at the same time consuming a great deal ot of the earnings in extending the system and improving the plant generally the stock Is owned entirely by the farmers in the valley and the bonds that have been sold are also owned by the farmers so tho the institution Is strictly a municipal or local affair instituted for tho the benefit of the people it serves As an investment it has proven very satisfactory to the stockholders as a convenience it Is indispensable to tho the citi rens ieng of the dear bear river valley and if brigham city and the towns on tho the south could be brought into the circuit the county would gouid have a telephone system owned by the people that would be unique in its nature and one ot of the greatest blessings to tho the that they could possibly imagine at this time in the discussion ot of the matter ot of a municipal telephone the th caso case of 0 davis county has been cited as one where municipal ownership was a failure just what the reason was the news Is unable to say but we did get in touch with one of tho the former city councilmen who made a thorough investigation ol of that plant and he be gave some facts and figures that indicate that the plant was not a financial failure allure at least the hope ot of the davis county people was w a 6 to 0 g get et every city along the line as far north as north ogden connected up on the municipal line each community to bear the expense of the line within its territory and th then en w when h en that was accomplished to go south to salt lake the ultimate base ot of the plant for some reason the people along the route did not take to tho the proposition and at that time tho the independent as well as the bell company was operating through that teri i but the davis county line went along in its limited sphere and during the month of august 1911 the net earnings were such that a 0 21 1 per cent dividend was possible tho the of officials ficiala ot of the company stated to our city council that tho the company was wag a paying proposition asit as os it lt was then operated la in davis dails county and the company had to install lt its own poles purchase electrical energy with which to charge the plant and the territory traversed by the lines was very scattered in population with long distances be tween subscribers having baying two strong competitors and yet tt it returned a handsome profit on tho the investment This was tile the report given by the companas comp anys officials in comparing tho the statement of sir roche relative to what has been accomplished out in the dear bear river valley and tile the report as to what was known ol of the condition ot of tho the davis county plant with conditions here in brigham city tor for the installation ot of a municipal telephone system the deduction more than favors such a move hero here brigham city would not have bare the expense ot of installing poles it owns owna its own light plant from whence electrical energy would be supplied it has its own office where the ex continued on page four MORE TELEPHONE FACTS continued from page one change could be located and lastly its citizens know the be benefits of municipal owner owne rip 1 ip former city councils have been on the point ot of installing a system the only thing in the way being the money with which to do it with which 1 of course was a good and su sufficient i reason but it must be remembered that at the time when the question was discussed and the officials became converted that it would be a splendid thing to do the resources of the city were not what they are now bonds had recently been issued tor for the installation of the electric light plant and the waterworks water works bonds were nvere not yet paid while the light plant was not a fully established fact as a moneymaker to the municipality now it is different tile the water works bonds have been paid and a new issue has been voted the sinking fund for the redemption of the electric light bonds is steadily growing and the annual revenue of the city is increasing our assessed valuation has increased mightily in the last few years and the city Is in a splendid condition financially so that the matter of devising ways and means for securing in the funds necessary to install a plant plant at this particular time should not be a hard one there Is scarcely one man in a hundred opposed to the idea of a municipal telephone system and it would seem that the time is now ripe tor for definite action in the matter the present company doing business within the city is operating without a franchise when the independent company was wa absorbed by the bell company the franchise granted the first named company by brigham city was not included in the deal the dell bell people bought the independent plant and equipment in this city but not the franchise that still belongs to the independent company the present telephone company is operating over the independent lines as well as over the dell bell lines and in each case is doln doing so without a franchise under tha the franchise granted the independent company section 9 provides that the city at any time can purchase the plant property and franchise at a reasonable price to be determined either by arbitration or by a friendly condemnation suit that same franchise provides that the telephone company shall pay to the city I 1 per cent of its earnings in the city which has never been done the situation is indeed somewhat complicated the advantage being with the municipality however and right now Is a good time to call a mass meeting so that the proposition can be presented to tho the people in a body and their sentiment can be obtained II if we want a municipal telephone there never was waa a more propitious time to act at any rate rat let the mass meeting be caled and have the matter thoroughly discussed in the open forum in order that all the people might participate in the deliberations |