Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1891-12-12
TELEPHONES '.roR EXPORT.

TELEPHONES FOR EXPORT"
n nseezaeaa Wsssa Expesssa 0aeanhs
Msaepsay.
The advertisement and circulars of
he Tropical American Telephone
Company, Limited, which asserts
hat it has the exclusive right to sell
Cell telephones .sfOr export" to South
America, Mexico and the West Indies,
throw some slightssapon the actual
ost of these telephones and the
,rice for which they can be sold
,rofltably.
1t has been shown repeatedly that
The Bell company exacts from local
exchanges q rental of 314 per annum
,or the phone and transmitter, the
satents on which die in January and
March, 1898, the entire cost OF which
8 %. a, as admitted by ofncers Of
;he company in testimony given be-
tore q committee of the Massachusetts,
Legislature. The price enacted by
;he local exchanges for telephone
service in the large cities OF the
United States ranges from 500 to
$50 per annum. The profits of the
business have been enormous. The
investigation made a few years ago
oy a committee Of the New York
Assembly gave to the people OF New
York some knowledge of the profits
Of the Bell company and its depend
.nt local organizations, and of the
manner in which the parent COM
pany had exacted from the local COM
panies stock to the par value of more
than $40, 600, 900 which was then held
in its treasury.
One of the circulars of the export
ing company to which We have re-
ferred set forth the ''prices for ex-
port" of a complete outfit for tele-
phone line one mile long, with a
station at each end. This outfit con-
sists of two Bell telephones, two
Blake transmitters, two magnetic call
bells, two backboards and battery
boxes, two Leclanche battery cells to
operate transmitters, two flexible
cords to connect the telephone and
call bells, one mile of No. IL gal
vanized iron wire, IS pony glass in
sulators with wooden brackets, 100
feet insulated Office wire, spikes for
brackets, staples for Office wire,
screws, etc. This circular printed in
English, says the price Of the two
sets of instruments is $50 subject to
a discount of IS to so per cent, and
that the price of the slime outfit" is
1925, subject also to discount for
large orders, so that the net selling
price of the outfit Of two Bell tele-
phones. two Blake transmitters, two
call bells, with backboards, battery
cells and cords, as enumerated above,
is only S32 to $50. On the circular
notice is given in red ink, under the
date Jan. /, 1891, that ''prices on
complete sets, like cut" (Which shows
q Bell telephone, Blake transmitter,
a battery box, a blackboard, cords,
etc. } have been ''reduced to $3.50
net cash." This would make the
price of the two sets s33, instead of
$50. To this sum may be added
$13.2 for the cline outfit" the total
being $46.25.
This should be interesting to sub
scribers in the United States who are
paying from 500 to $3.50 per annum
for the use of such instruments and
the service connected Herewith. 1t
should be borne in mind that this
price of $33 for two sets of instru-
ments is price for absolute sale, and
not an annual rent. The buyer owns
the property, which costs him only a
little more than the rent exacted an
nually by the Bell company from the
local exchanges simply for the use of
such instruments, and is only one
third or one-fourth of the rent paid
annually by the subscribers in our
large cities. The same company ad-
vertises that it has the exclusive
right to sell in South America, Cen
trail America, Mexico and the West
Indies, '.Berliner's long distance
transmitters and telephone sets, which
it prOcures from manufacturers in
Europe, thereby saving the heavy and
burdensome United States royalties
which have been hitherto paid for in
struments manufactured under
United States patents"
Those who use telephones in the
United States will be surprised to
learn. that residents of the countries
south of us can obtain a complete
outfit, except the poles, for private
telephone line one mile long, with all
the Bell instruments and appliances,
for only S46.25, and by the payment
of this sum can become the absolute