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Show The good, people of Manti are having hav-ing serious trouble these days over the telephone question. They have a telephone of their own, and are quite well satisfied with it, but from ' the appearance it would seem they ' are to have another one. They have i an idea apparently that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and are, accordingly, protesting. A 1 statement of telephone conditions 1 there is being sent out, and, inasmuch ! as all sections of the county are in- ! terested, either direct'y or indirectly, I The Pyramid gives it in full. It was prepared by the Manti people and gives their particular side of the controversy. con-troversy. It is as follows: "War has been declared in Manti; and actual hostilities have commenced. commenc-ed. The local telephone company and its stockholders, patrons, and the people of Manti on the one side and the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company on the other side are the combatants. The opening guns were fired at a meeting of the citizens of'Manti held m the tabernacle Saturday evening. The meeting was an exciting and enthusiastic one and may wel' be taken tak-en as an indication of the spirU ot the people of this place in the conflict; con-flict; and it is all on the side of the . home company. The cause of hostilities Dates back seven years About seven, years ago the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Company nad a monopoly oh the telephone business in Manti aud in Sanpete County. In Manti that company had a long distance switchboard and a-bout a-bout 35 telephones in use. The rates were $2.00 a month for residence phones and $3.00 a month for business busi-ness phones. The people of Manti, being dissatisfied dis-satisfied with the quality of the ser vice rendered by the BeU Company, and believing that the rates chargei were too high for the service render ed, and failing to get any icdres:. from the trust, organized a telephone company of their own. The company thus formed, knowi. as the Manti Telephone Company was capitalized for $10,000.00, anc all of the stock was subscribed ii. this city. ' In the face of much oppositioi. from the BeU Company, which it it charged, tried to defeat the installation installa-tion of the local system by preventing the supply houses from selling to the local concern the necessary equipment, equip-ment, and by other means, the home company went ahead and installed its exchange. The best and most up-to-date phones and equipment were purchased. pur-chased. The rates established were $1.00 per month for residence phones, and $1.50 per month for business phones o rjust one-half the. rates theretofore maintained by the Bell system. Predictions were freely made, oF course, that the home company could not prosper at such rates and that it would soon become bankrupt. But it survived the first year in good condition. con-dition. And at the beginning of the second year of its existence a contract' was made between it and the Bell company vhereby the latter withdrew with-drew its office from the city leaving the field entirely to the home company. com-pany. The home company through the agreement obtained long-distance connections for i(T subscribers and the Bell company obtained a materia increase over its long-distance lines from and to this point. This contract lasted for five years; It was mutually beneficial and profit-aote profit-aote to the two companies and served to provide a service entirely satisfactory satisfac-tory to the public. Under this agreement agree-ment the Bell company was in receipt re-ceipt of about $90.00 per month net income from its business here and the local company obtained about $40.00 to $50.00 per month for handling hand-ling the business. Upon the expiration of that contract con-tract one year ago, The Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company, Com-pany, which had in the meantime succeeded suc-ceeded to the interests and property of the Bel Company, refused to renew re-new the agreement. A new contract, however, was made giving the home company long-distance connections and requiring that it handle such jusiness tor the trust at no profit to itself. The big company during the year has received about $130.00 pel month from its business here at no cost whatsoever; while the local company com-pany has furnished the equipment and handled the business and collected collect-ed the accounts for the big company for $15.00 per month. The Inter 'Mountain States Co., hat now served notice that the latter contract con-tract will be terminated in 30 days thus cutting off long-distance connections connec-tions for patrons of the home company, compa-ny, and that the big company will immediately proceed to install a switch board and go after business in this town. It was stated by the officers of the Manti Telephone Company at the mass meeting he'd Saturday night and it is generally known to be a fact that the home company, in spite of the low rates that have been maintained, main-tained, has been a profitable investment invest-ment to its stockholders. ThBre are about 310 phones ill use in this city. The system is without -question second sec-ond to none in the state, having the best instruments that are to be bought on the market and all modern equipment and conveniences. The stockholders have received an annual dividend of better than 10 per cent, (besides which the company has put into improvements and extensions of the plant more than $6,000.00 from its earnings. The success of the Manti company financially and the very efficient service ser-vice which it gives to its patrons as compared w'ith the telephone service lurnished other (owns in the county, have caused a spirit of insurgency o manifest itself throughout Sanpete and Sevier counties. Already Fairview, Moroni, Fountain Foun-tain Green, Wales, Freeuo Gunnison, Axtell and Fayette in this county are suppjied with home telephone tel-ephone companies. Ephraim lor Atvee years has been agitating a municipal teleiHione company and it now looks as though such a system will b installed before many months while Mt. Pleasant has already subscribed sub-scribed almost sufficient stock to begin be-gin construction of its local plant. It was asserted at t lie meeting Saturday Sat-urday evening that the Inter .Mountain .Moun-tain States Company fears that a county telephone system will be established es-tablished unices something is dom to put the Manti company out of business. bus-iness. But the peopie of Manii a! that meeting agreed to stand fcy tin home company to a man. oen though the big company shuul St., or in ioiig-distanee conntei'ons. It ,.,oki as though this city an,d perhaps I hi: county is infor a bitter fight oei the telephone question, with a va.;t uajoiity ot the people lining up oi. .he side of the i , o i : i er.w-i pni- aim in favor of goodservice and moder-. moder-. ate rates." |