The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-05-30
A TELEPHONE CONFERENCE.

| ~ ~ .7rtfHi
The Bell Telephone Company. the
parent organization, has issued to each
of the companies working under its
license, request to send delegate to the
conference to be held in Boston on June
8th. The public has not been informed
as to the nature of the meeting and the
subjects to be discussed, but we may be
assured that something important is in
the wind. Perhaps the monopoly has
heard some of the growlings by the
people, and thinks it time to loosen
somewhat its grip on the pockets of the
public; if it were not for the fact that
the people will not submit to any
further extortion, we might expect the
conference was called to devise a
scheme for giving the screw
another twist, but this latter will
not be done while instruments are being
ordered out so frequently, and the COM
plant against the robbery is so loud and
general.
| L NE hEhAAO 1SopCCb1uhy ou6SOooS W
the delegate who goes from the local
company, that he represent the truth,
which is that not FIVE subscribers to the
telephone feel that they are not being
robbed not five but feel they are pay
ing twice what the service is worth;
not five but feel that if the cost were re-
duced one-half, the Bell company would
still make money faster than any other
concern in the country considering the
amount of capital invested, taking no
account, of course, of cheek. If the del
egate wants any facts from which to
show why the people complain,
he should be able to gather
them in a few minutes. He can
explain that while great inventions
are always means of robbing, the Bell
telephone is the riost extortionate of all
the patent monopolies. He can explain
that the inventor of the reaper made
himself immensely rich by charging
outrageous royalties on every machine
sold, but he didn't get rich in a year;
the delegate can say that the owners of
the sewing machine patents used to
charge for machines two and three
times the actual cost, but there is no
known instance where an inventor
charges SIS or $50 year for an APP
pliapce that cost So. An Ohio iegisla-
tive committee has ascertained that
there ale 1900 telephones in use in
that State, the total cost of which is
about $37 600, and for those the local
people. in fact-pay |
a rental of $4,000 annually, |
or $50 an instrument, the profit on
the S37 900 investment being sos, 900 or
nearly 60 per cent. This 100000 net |
profit, or steal, is from one State, and |
the extortion is just as great in proper
ton to population in all other States.
The legislative committee referred to re-
ports that the Bell Telephone Company
is an ;'imperious and unconseioRable
and recommends legislative
action for the purpose of limiting
charges. It may be that reports of this
have led to the calling of the
especially as action has
been taken in one State and other legis-
latures are talking of checking the rob-
berry. The Indiana Legislature has
limited the maximum charge for the
use OF the telephone to S. per month
and in case one person uses two instru-
ments, no more than IS per |
month shall be charged for both.
In this city the rental for single tele- |
phone is Sc per month. or $50 per year,
of which sum the parent company gets |
SIS. If the latter were reduced to S. per |
year. which would be 100 per cent. on !
the investment. the original capital be-
ing preserved intact and running no
risks, the cost to users might be reduced
to 81 per month, resulting in saving
of $12 per year; the number of patrons
would be increased, and the telephone
become of greater value at less cost.
The local company should send a
delegate to the Boston conference, and
let him be man who is not stock
holder of tie Bell Telephone Company.