Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-05-23
THr BELL TELEPHONE.

r real name OF the writer. has been receive
. with the request that we publish it in Il
:, COURIER:
= Tt the Editor of the Arant Courier:
A local item in your enterprising new
paper is liable to misinterpretalion, and
If somewhat unjust. In the first place, I'll
Bell Telephone rents for ten dollars pr
> annum, and discount is made from TIN
price in certain cases. As to its bein
worth that sum. Mr.. W. A. Clark. {
Butte. who rents five or six, says. 1.-The
more than paid their cost the first month.
The excuse for persons stealing the in
yention and rendering themselves liable It
legal prosecution, would apply just as wei
to men who steal newspapers because TIN
price is ten times the cost of the material
The fact is. brai:s are worth something
In comparison. rs regards utility, we pf,
every day ten times as much proportion
: ally for thousand patented articles.
That Mr. Vestal makes fortune by :
lucky discovery is no reason why other:
should steal his fortune, Much less ought
our Woodworking inventors to be deprived
of their just dues.
Mr.. Bell has been a bcnef,ctor to hun
dreds of deaf mutes by teaching them to
articullte. Like all teachers. his pccuni-
airy reward has been slight BY the inven-
ton of the telephone he has benefited the
whole world. and brought honor to this
country. If he can secure q competency
from it. he has deserved it. Too few of
our inventors do make money. AS to
other parties infringing his patent by max
ing. selling, or using any part of it, the
patent laws are amply sufficient. and it is
only right for Mr.. Bell to secure his legal
and moral rights.
INVENTOR"
HELENA, NJ. Il. May, IS, rs.
The writer of the above makes state
ment that is very liable to mislead, when
he states that 1.-THE Bell Telephone rents
for ten dollars per annun." The state
ment is true enough of itself. but one in
strilment is not enough to operate a line,
neither will two. without box telephone
and call bell at each end, be as efficient as
is desirable. and in some cases necessary.
In speaking of the price OF a wagon, for
instance. it would be just as appropriate to
say, the wheels sell for $40 each; hut one
wheel does not make a wagon by any
means. neither does it make a set of wheels. |
The Bell Telephone Company recognizes
this and in their circular state, Telephones
are leased for $1,000 per set $1,000 for
each station) per annum, payable in adj
vance," We stated that Forty dollars Il |
year for tie use of one set of instruments |
costing, perhaps, less than five dollars to
looks just a little unreason-
able. if not extortionate," and we still
hold to that opinion for the following
reasons:
First: Where the instruments are manu-
factured, money can be hired for from to
per cent. per annun. We will say per
,ent., and persons who lease telephones are
TO pay interest or $500, as the
1alue Of one set. In Montana, money
commands higher rate of interest. and
he price will not seem as cXtortionate
lere as it does i'll the States. Still, a man
must have considerable business to justify
he expense of operating a line.
Second: \ pair Of instruments can be
purchased in Germany for six dollars. [See
scientific Anerican, Feb. 10Th, 1873. page
o.. This, we presume, does not include
he box telephone or call bell, but simply
wo hand telephones for which Americans .
re compelled to pay $50 year rent. Now, ,
instruments can be made and sold in
at Il profit, for six dollars pair, !
) '.looks just "A little unreasonable. if not
xtOrtionate" to charge Americans $1,000
year rent for using the same kind of in q
truments. {
1t certainly does not speak very well for :
In. Bells patriotism that he charges :
americans three times rs much in rent for
sing his instruments as he sells the same
ass Of instruments for in Europe. Say it :
)sts five dollars pair to manufacture
lem in America, land we would like to
)ntract to make few thousand of them 6,
that price, and we are compelled to pay :,
early 300 per cent, in rent, more than the
,tual cost of the instrument. If '.Inven- =.
II" will cite one instance where" as he
ates, ''as regards utility wepay ten times a
much proportiOnally for thousand Z
'tented articles" we stand ready to con- a. a,
SIS our ignorance, and to take back the
atement that we now make, namely: that :,
e Bell Telephone Company charge more .
= the use of their patent than any other IL
mpany we ever heard Of al
The fact that the patent laws being re
imply sufficient" to protect Mr.. Bell in as
5 present system of renting instruments, a'
es not make it necessary for us to miti- IA
te our statement in the least, that there ~
,uld be little necessity tor suits against 81
rites infringing upon the patent ''if the III
tentees would sell or rent the instrument ei
rates" IN
We confess that we are unable to see the vi
ce Of our CORE spondent's comparison, IL
Itch he attempts H. draw between the ~
use Of telephones and news III III
pers. The newspaper Is acknowledged "a
be the cheapest and most useful matter mi
the world. No one pretends to nOnop- III
re it. or to reap large profits by it sa
ough protective patents. Newspapers ny
so cheap, in fact, as TO place them be- op
nd the temptation to dishonesty. Be OF
es. every man has the right and privilege Al
making his own newspapers, if he so Gel
Tres; in which case he would probably ab'
the cost of material and labor to be III
times the price such commodities usu- wv
sell for in the market. an
n this articl" and the one we published Tic
week we not say one word against the
invention. On the contrary, having u ~
A it in practical use, and read of its The
nderful performances, recognize it as Pr
Of the most important and useful in san
tons of the age. We only speak ele
inst that righteousness which is sure ~
efeat itself in the end-knowing that if Al,
instrument WAS sold at reasonable the
there would be twenty instruments in tee