The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1883-01-13
cat first" said Mr.. Stone. tive

| one circuit OF Wlrc. we cnar9cU
these SD per month. This was in the
early stages of telephony, and there
was no microphone. 1t was difficult
to hear well at best and there was 50
little use for the telephone then that
it looked rs though one wire would
accommodate any number of SUBJ
scribcrs. These things soon began
to change. The desire for telephones
seemed to grow with what it fed OH
Each month compelled us to reduce
the number of subscribers to the
wire. From II we came down to
five, and increased the rate to 81 per
month for each subscriber within a
half-mile of the exchange. We were
compelled to build new wires all the
time, and for each half-milc of dis
lance we charged 81 extra. We
found soon that people living several
miles from the exchange could not
afford the price. About this time
the transmitter came into use. Now
let me tell you something about this
transmittcr and microphonc. The
early Edison telephone did not have
them. They were invented by Bell.
1t was a question for some time
whether they would be successful.
The National Bell Telephone Com
pany was organized, and the stock
ranged down at something like 10
cents on the dollar. Suddenly Mr..
Bell, who had been hard mt work in
his laboratory, completed his inven-
ton. From slight Improvement
the Bell telephone became decided
success. Stock doubled and then
quatlruplcd. Men who had gone to
bed with few hundred shares of
stock worth little or nothing woke up
to find themselves rich. Mr.. Bell
had his patents complete. His in
strumcnt ran everything out of the
market, and of course he had the
business in his own hands. He
determined to place a royalty Of SO
on every transmitter and $40 on
every microphone, and, Of course,
he got it. The result is that we pay
$40 n year royalty on every telephone
in use. This little thing you talk
through and the instrument you hear
from you can't buy for love or
money. Twenty dollars a year rents
them, and if we break one we pay
S25 to replace it. OF course, this
put prices up. We put in special
wires for one subscriber with tcle-
phone and transmitter at So per
month to any point within radius
of onc-half mile from the Central
Exchange, and 81 for every addition
al half-mile."
SLOW did that plan work."
every well. All our business
men availed themselves of the special
wire, but the 81 for additional dis
lance we still found did not do so
well. We therefor concluded to
equalizc the rates, and at present we
: furnish a business subscriber with II
special wire, telephone, and trans
mittcr anywhere in the city of Gin
cinnati, Covington, Newport, Clifton,
or Avondalc for s. 33 per month,
and residences in the same limits
with special wire ut So per month,
or three subscribers ON one wire at
81 1G per month. The equalization
increased no subscriber more than
81 33 per month, and decreased
! many from 81 to $40 per month.
''How do these prices compare
with other cities!"
swell, for special wires to bust
. ness houses, for onc-half mile OF
five miles, in Cincinnati, the rate Is
500 per year. In Chicago the price
is Sl25 per year up to one mile, ther
in goes to $50 for one and quarter
miles, Sl75 for one and "a half miles
. 1925 for three miles. Ncw-Yorh
City is $50 per annum for one mile
> $lSG for mile and quarter, ant
1922 for any ching over two miles
> Pittsburg and New-Orleans ar,
cheaper than Cincinnati for onc-hal
mile, being sS4 and SO, respccti
vcly. For one mile Pittsblrg il
: Sl20, and New-Orlcans 500, ant
y they both inctcase-Ncw-O Orleans t.
i 5000 and Pittsburg to s25O-fo
three miles"
c 1t will he seen from Capt. Stone
: figures that Cincinnati is supplied 4
II exceedingly cheap rates, and 1t onl.
y takes II little experience in otlle
u cities to make Cincinnatians NOR
G than contcntcd with the service. :
> Cipsinnai Commercial.
e Hundreds of thousands of men iii
le annually from strong drink, --hanso