- 1920s - (Part 3 of 14) -
“The baseball game between Eureka and Hamilton at the fair grounds Sunday afternoon ended in a racket before it began. The Hamilton team very foolishly refused to play if Ed Hill umpired. The Eureka players in a similar stubborn spirit, refused to go on the field unless Hill umpired. Hill who is one of the best amateur umpires in the business and who is eminently fair in his decisions didn’t want to umpire the game under the circumstances and would have been very glad to step aside. It was an unfortunate circumstance all around. Fans who had paid to see the game were given back their money.
Early September 1920 saw a two-to-three-inch rain fall in Eureka in less than thirty minutes. The ground was already soaked from previous rains and the branch that passes through the east part of town (Walker’s Run) was a raging torrent. Water from this source ran into the Weiser grocery store on East Fifth Street ( that would have to have been between Elm and Mulberry Street) and the Ronen Livery barn on South Elm was also flooded. Fall River was the highest it had been in years.
Claiming it is losing money on the Eureka investment, the Southwester Bell Telephone company has filed an application with the Kansas Court of Industrial Relations asking for an increase of telephone rates in Eureka.
Under the proposal rates for business would be increase 75 cents per month, for individual residence lines 55 cents per month and introducing a two-party residence rate of $2.00 per month. The schedule applied for increase business rate to $3.50 per month, single line residence $2.25 per month; two party residence $2.00 per month.
In September 1920, this article gave an opinion on the Yankee Robinson circus that came to town. It lacked a good deal of being a big show, the ring attractions were mediocre, the general appearance of paraphernalia and personnel was somewhat shabby, yet it was a circus and as such drew the crowd. The American people will drop all work to go to a circus. It makes no difference how urgent the business in hand, everything must stop when the elephants and the clowns come to town. There is something about the posters on the barns and billboards that suggests a holiday to the most ambitious working man or woman. The Yankee Robinson show had nothing to recommend it except the trained animals, which were above the average seen under a circus tent, but if it should decide to come to Eureka again, next year, it is dollars to doughnuts that the tent would be filled by the same people who attended Monday’s performance. The prices charged this year are exorbitant, $1.00 for general admission to the big tent, 50 cents for reserved seats with 15 cents war tax added to the bill. Then in addition there was the red lemonade and peanuts, no circus being complete without their accessories. It was tough on the boys and girls to pay the price and tougher still on Dad, but all good things come high these days, so why not the circus. Yankee Robinson went from here to Winfield.
In September of 1920 Ford reduced the price on trucks 14 per cent and 31 per cent on passenger cars. Mr. Ford said: “ Now is a time to call a halt on war methods, war prices, war profiteering and war greed. It may be necessary for everyone to stand a little sacrifice but it will be most profitable after all, because the sooner we get the business of the county back to a pre-war condition, progress, prosperity and contentment will occupy the attention of the people.” There will be no reduction in wages at any Ford plant. Present prices and new prices on a few cars are as follows: Sedan $1,072-$739, Coupe $941$649, Roadster $629$434.
Letter to the Editor from a telephone operator; Yes, I think it’s time for us t o return a few of the compliments our subscribers have been offering us for so long. It seems as though the telephone and Ford car are the only two objects that will stand s o much ridiculing without saying something in return. A Ford is no more than a piece of tin, but when we want service, we take a Ford. What would we do without them?
A telephone operator is about as helpless as a Ford. We have to sit up there and take the harsh words of everyone. If the subscriber was as prompt to give a response to the “Number Please” as we are to answer his or her number, they might not have to complain so much about service. Do you know lots of times we can answer three or four times while you are talking to another party in the room about politics or some picture show, not thinking about what you are doing, and nine times out of ten you’ll flash your receiver in the operator’s ear which isn’t at all pleasant. Then when we answer again, you’ll say, “Well Central, did you wake up?” or “Have you been asleep?” and all we can say is “What number were you calling, please? In the best tone of voice, we have.
Some of the subscribers say they don’t get service and never have. Why then don’t you have your telephone taken out? The company will gladly take it back. What’s the use to pay for something you don’t get. Maybe it’s for style you keep your phone just because everyone else has one. Now let me give you a little advice on economy. Bring your box in and don’t pay rent on it any longer. They have some very good imitations at Wheeler’s Variety store for only 25 cents, “no rent required, “but you can say you have a telephone. Get you one of these, try it awhile and see if you won’t appreciate the old-time telephone service and all.
We want to thank the subscriber who sent the picture where the young man tried to get central and when at last, she answered he had become old and gray. We would have liked for him to have signed his name to it, but we decided we’d have been like him, we wouldn’t have had the nerve. We also saw a few weeks age where some friend had very strongly insinuated that a telephone operator would never see the golden gates, but would be more than welcome at the other place. But at that I dare say it will be pleasant in compare with this life. The only thing we regret is that it will be so crowded. There will be so many of our subscribers there.
And say, if you want to know why the farmers don’t gat any better service just crank up your Ford and take a little spin out in the country and notice the telephone lines.
Now, how about a reply to the above letter to the editor: An article appeared in your last week’s issue which I consider an insult to each and every subscriber of the telephone company. The writer would have us believe that some girl at the “central” office wrote the article, but I am not going to address myself to the girls, but to a “higher up.”
The article referred to is about as rotten as the service we are getting from the company. There is no use for me to call your attention to the inexcusable neglect we are accustom to, as you are familiar with this as anyone. But what I do want to do is to call public attention to some things not generally known.
In the first place, when the telephone company secured the franchise to operate their business in Eureka, they agreed with the city administration to furnish service at an agreed price, and that we should have free use of all the lines in the county and they did this with the understanding that the city would not charge them any rent. Things run in this manner for a time but one by one the free county lines were cut out until today we must pay toll to every town in the county except Reece and Climax. Twice already the rental price of phones has been raised, and now they are asking for another raise and because we complain of the service, we are publicly insulted by the coward who signs himself “Operator,” who tells us to “bring your box in, the company will gladly take it back.” Then he advises us to “go to Wheeler’s variety store and buy a toy telephone for 25 cents and no rent to pay.” Now, this is the limit for gall.
We give this monopoly free use of our streets, with privilege of digging a hole where they please and to cut our trees as best suit them, and you have never heard a complaint from one of our citizens on account of it. It seems to me that the time has arrived for our citizens to rise up in self defense and “swat” the corporation who publicly insults you, and who tells you that if you do not pay your bills “Johnny on the spot” they will charge you extra for your neglect. In other words, they will penalize you. We are within the grip of a monopoly who has us by the throat, and who by their action, say to us “pay or you can’t play,” and they tell us how to pay and when to play.”
