trvro
THE ALLIANCE HERALD, TUESDAY,
ANUARY S, 1922.
Ol?r Allianrr Hrralft
TUESDAY AND FRIDAY
BURR PRINTING CO- Owners
Entered at the postofTice at Alliance,
Keb., for transportation through the
kaila aj second class matter.
GEORGE L. BURR, Jr. Editor
EDWIN M. BURR Business Mgr.
Official newspaper of the City of
Alliance; otTicial newspaper of Box
Butte County.
Owned and published by The Burr
rrinting Company, George L. Burr,
Jr., 1'resicJent; Edwin M. Burr, Vice
tTesJdenu
TKOSriXT AND RETROSPECT.
Few of us have muny kind words
for the year that paused out at mid
night Saturday. It hasn't been the
Lest year in history, but it hasn't been
the worst, by a long shot. Marking,
as it lu, the first painful steps to
ward normalcy, it wua inevitable that
the readjustment should bring some
hardships. A!! of us have boon called
Upon to do our 'share toward getting
the country upon a sound basis some
of us have perhaps had to do a bit
mare than our share and to none has
the experience been delightful. Mer
chants and business men have had to
dispose of surplus tocks at a partial
loss, due to the buyers' strike, which
is now happily ended. Luboring mm
have had to take the lead in the march
to normalcy, for wages, always the
last to rise, are the first to go down.
The buying public, which had spent
its money like drunken sailors during
the war, first grew thrifty, and then
ceased buying altogether. This, with
turpi us stocks on hand in every store,
resulted in a shutdown of industry.
With the closing of factories, unem
ployment became a problem. But the
old year which has just passed on has,
for the most part, brought something
for everything it took uway, and will
when we look at it later with calm,
unprejudiced view, be found to "have
been' as good ns the average.
The buyers' strike and the Ku Klux
Klan are now things of the past. Lib
erty bonds have come out of the
dumps, after most of the email invest
ors had been compell.d to pi v.iih
"there securities. Business is getting
to a more Bolid footing. Trices arc
stabilized. ' Demand is increasing and
factory wheels are turning again.
Wages, too, are stabilized. Danger of
railway strike is averted, for the
time being, at least. Labor has shown
a commendable disposition to take its
medicine, just as capital has been
forced to be content with smaller re
turns. The bad effects of the war are slow
ly passing away, for the most of us.
Taxes, which reached one of the high
est points in history, have challenged
public attention, and retrenchment in
public expense will follow, and will
follow soon, if indications are to be
trusted. Public interest has been di
rected toward governmental affairs,
and it is safe to predict that voters,
for the next few years at least, will
pay real attention to the men they
elect to office and will insi.-t on strict
performance of pledges. If 11)21 ac
complishes nothing more than the
impressing of a sense of responsibility
on the average voter, this alone marks
tremendous achievement.
' The land and sea forces of the Unit
ed States government have been re
duced. Appropriations for their up
keep will hit the toboggan next. The
disarmament conference, while more
or less of a failure, has demonstrated
that In time the world may hope for
diminution of the financial burden
of war a senseless burden, at thi3
etage of the world's development
At home, here in Alliance and Box
Butte county, the year that has passed
la one of progress. Alliance has in'
stalled a city manager form of gov
rnment, which is giving the city a
business administration, and is atract
ing favorable comment from all over
the state and in many places over the
tuition.
The past year has marked the end
of a road war between Alliance and
the county commissioners. The com
ing twelve months should show sub
stantial progress in road building. A
definite program has been outlined,
providing for both through roads and
ft system of feeders, and 1922 should
see this program started.
, The. potash industry struggled hard
to maintain its footing, but made it
bow and -retired behind the curtains.
It may never return, but instead there
is a search for oil that may bring even
theater wealth to the community.
There have been forward strides in
law enforcement. The year 1021 ar
rived just at the conviction of Eve
lyn McElhaney for murder. This was
the signal for strict law enforcement
Alliance and Box Butte county have
been the leaders in western Nebraska.
The booze ring has not been cleaned
out, but it's getting to be a poorly
paying game. The fellows who were
taaking big money in pandering to the
appetites of the booeh consumers are
finding that it doesnt pay. They are
going, the way of the check writers.
who have given Alliance a wide berth,
for the most part Other towns in the
county are being cleaned up. Before
long, at this rate of progress sellers
of moonshine will do business outside
the county. Alliance and Box Butte
have been singularly free from law
lessness and crime. Other cities sim
ilarly situated have talked of a "wave
of crime," but it has not been in evi
dence here.
Last, but by no means least, there
Is being built up a feeling of friend
liness between Alliance and the sur
rounding rural territory. Many fac
tors have contributed to this, from the
whole-hearted assistance given in a
disastrous prairie fire to a community
Christmas tree. There has been a
genuine endeavor to iron out all dif
ferences nnd where there is sincerity
in such nn endeavor, it Is bound to
succeed. When there is genuine co
operation between city and rural com
munities, Box Butte county will find
no project too large to put over.
Take it by and large, 1921 was a
pretty fair year. It had more than
its share of reverses, but it has had
some notable victories nnd a few
pleasant surprises. With a brighter
outlook for the cattlemen and the
farmers, nnd the prospect of enough
work to go around, 1922 should be an
improvement At least, we are will
ing to give it every opportunity to beat
all existing records. Normalcy, judg
ing by the distance we've traveled,
cannot be so very far away.
THi: PHONE PLOT THICKENS.
It has been month. since the Alli
ance public has been so stirred over
anything as it Is now over the efforts
of the Northwestern Bell Telephone
company to increase its I'atos. The
telephone company has not been in
good favor in Alliance for years and
years ever since the railway commis
sion raised rates above those set
forth in the old franchise and it has
made mighty few friends since that
occasion. Telephone service in Alli
ance, it must be conceded, it pretty
good, on tho average. The rates are
not the highest in tho state. The men
who have been sent here to transact
business with the telephone subscribers
have been a bunch of fine fellows, who
JUV2 WiJo a lot of friends for them
selves, but these friends do not carry
this fond regard to tho point where it
takes in the company. '
That's about the situation now. The
iiVfrnrrA olntilinni Riifirrihor diwvn't
care particularly about the amount of j
the 10 per cent surcharge, or even the,
10 or 15 cents in excess of that. If the
money were to go to his church, or his
lodge, or his union, or his club, it
wouldn't cause u moment's hesitation.
Butter, or eggs, or meat, or clothing,
or any one of a dozen necessaries could
advance in price 10 per cent ami it
wouldn't call forth a howl of protest.
Even the proportionately greater in
crease in freight and passenger rates,
already too high for comfort, didn't
cause one-tenth of tho actual ill feel
ing that has been engendered against
the Northwestern Bell Telephone com
pany. It would be a difficult thing to say
just what is responsible for this atti
tude on the part of the public. There
have been a number of contributing
factors, of course. Every member of
the council and nine out of ten of the
people who were telephone subscribers
at the time the railway commission
first raised rates higher than the fig
ure named in the franchise, looked
upon thecompany at this time as an
agreement-breaker, and most of them
are of the same opinion still. Others
are peeved because the company, dur
ing the time the last franchise was
being held up, adopted a "do nothing"
attitude, and refused to make exten
sions. Others disliked the way the
company representatives talked when
they appeared before the council. Still
others dislike the company much as
the poet conceived a dislike for Dr.
Fell, and are just as willing to tell
the world.
But, no r., -.Iter why the telephone
company is disliked and mistrusted.
the fact is that the people of Alliance
in general seem to dislike the cor
poration. Ferhaps an even stronger
word might lie used. It seems impos
sible to change an opinion that ha-
been held for years. The present city
council endeavored to put an end to
this nncicnt grudge by giving the tel
ephone company a franchise. It is the
on'y franchise of its kind in the state,
and contains more concessions than
any other city has ever been able to
get, but the public, although it said
nothing at the thne, doern't like it
The la. t application for an increase
in rates was the last straw. The ; tate
railway commission has granted per
mission to retain the 10 per cent sur
charge until a hearing to be held with
in tho next thiity days. Unless the
commission should break all precedents
end order a reduction in rates, it seems
inevitable that trouble will re -ult
Just what form this trouble will take
is a matter of conjecture. At othei
cities in the state, which seem to lovr
the telephone company about as much
as Alliance, there is Uilk of patrons'
strikes. These damage the company,
undoubtedly, but they are remarkably
inconvenient and unsatisfactory for the
patrons. There are some in Alliance
who are talking strike.
Others have another solution, whicl
may, in the long run, prove to be the
only way to secure peace. Some o
the men who dislike the company have
suggested that a county telephone
comuanv bo crslzcd. These mer.
say that it will be possible to get prac
tically every subscriber to the Alliance
exchange to agree to patronize a local
company. With this sort of backing
assured, they believe the Bell people
will be willing to sell. Certainly they
should not object to getting rid of an
exchange that is not making sufficient
money on the investment. Nor is the
countv telephone company infca.;ible.
Hamilton county has such an organ iza
tion, which has found it possible to
furnish good service at rates that are
considered fair by the subscribers. The
Hamilton county association serves
seven or eight smaller towns in addi
tion to Aurora, as well as a large num
ber of farmers. At Aurora the Bell
company fought the independent con
cern, but it was a losing fight and they
soon retired from the field.
Of course, these are but conjectures.
The state railway commission may see
the light During the hearing last
week, the commissioners showed, by
their questions and their decision, that
it was up to the Northwestern Bell to
make a satisfactory showing, and that
the days of easy money are a thing of
the past. The commission's own ex
perts introduced damaging testimony
which showed that the operating ex
penses for the Bell company per sta
tion, or telephone, were 83 per cent
higher than for the Lincoln Telephone
& Telegraph company, which serves
cities south of the PIat,te. There were
also searching questions converning
the large depreciation fund. Other
cities served by the Northwestern Bell
have been given access to figures of
the company in order to fight the in
crease. It looks, to one who is opti
mistic, as though it were just about
time for a subscribers' inning.
If not, there will be plenty of tim
for anger to cool and vexation to weajr
itself out If the patrons cannot be
come reconciled to Continued. hieta
Irates for the company, the county leJi-
much more sensible solution of thee
long standing war than any strike,
and much less wearing on the nerves'
of all concerned.
1 &st$Mi
1 1
i v Wci 1
Announcing the Arrival of
Our New Line of
Spring
Millinery
Fashion's newest creations are here for your selection in a
charming variety of striking shades, materials and shapes for
Spring. We are the exclusive Alliance agents for
FISK HATS
You are invited to come in and see the new hats. We have just the
hat that will emphasize your natural charm.
H r
'he Fashion Shop
Have You Read It?
What kind of a message did it
bring you? Does your balance.show
a large increase over one year ago, or
is it smaller?
IT IS MOST "INTERESTING
when you read it regularly and watch, your bal
ance pet larger and larger. You will be surpris
ed to see it increase so fast. Money works for
you 21 hours a day.
THE HABIT OF SAVING LASTS
Resolve now to start a savings account. Add
to it regularly. You will soon feel that you are
getting somewhere. Let us show the way.
We Pay 5 Interest on Time Deposits.
First National Bank
Goal Is Down
Oc on a ton
Due to a reduction in our costs of coal war tax and delivery
charges we are able to retail coal to Alliance patrons at a lower
price. . -i:,Y!ajf izw&tf&xam&ii&td
NEW PRICES SCREENED AND DELIVERED '
COLORADO LUMP, Ton $15.00
COLORADO NUT, Ton .$14.00
OWL CREEK LUMP, Ton $12.50
OWL CREEK EGG, Ton $12.00
OWL CREEK PEA, Ton $ 8.50
You can save 75c a ton if you buy your coal at the bins. Get
your order in NOW. We can supply with any of the above sizes
and grades at the lower prices.
Lbr. k Coal Co.
Bierks
F. W. HARGARTEN, Slanager.