New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-21
THE TELEPHONE MONOPOLY.
TWO GROUNDS OF The FIGHT AGAINST IL.
WHAT SIMON srERNE sAYs-soME OF THE
CHARGES N EUROPE.

WHAT SIMON sTERNE sAYs-soME OF THE
CHARGES IN EUROPE
The Telephone Subscribers Association IS making
H. fight AGAINST the telephone monopoly OH t"o
grounds: First, that the telephone system 50 FraH'
OF the nature OF public service ana Is so aueo'cu ny
public that the right TO regulate me charges oo
fix telephone companies Is one of the Incidents OF the
police power Of the state and secondly, that the tee-
phone charges are excessive and that the telephone
commands exploit unfairly against the community
the monopoly interests which they enjoy. In hiS-
cu.sns these two points simon Stcrne one o inc o>V
active members Of the association, has tbs to say
As TO the public right to regulate telephone
charges the telephone is public necessity wmch
cannot be provided by the Of the plant without
making use their part either Of the power oil chi
neut domain or Of public highways, streets ana PUB
lie places which are the property OF the state ana us
municipalities, and II their plant would De N'i"oi.,'
unless such use were afforded the right OF the Pupho
TO regulate the charges which are to be maze 10 le
community cannot be questioned. That rSh'' hhc'
WISE cannot be questioned when the corporation VI
individual exercises the right Of eminent domain IN
asmurh as the state. OF the conditions OF tS
exercise of its sovereign power impose snch reg
lations as IL sees fit But the right Of the state 10
regulate Is recognized In all cases where the ee'Noc
operates as a monopoly; where public streets ana pup
lie highways are used and where the service Is o
.ucb a character that its has become matter OF
ouoic the language Of the law tho plant or property i
affected by a public use and the public is ipso iacto
taken into partnership either Of srch cases the pub
lie right 10 regulate charges is clear as though inc
owners Of the plant exercising the right OF emil
nent domain.
in addition the state may also subject corpora
lion OF its own creation, or one which. organized
under the laws of other States, IS domched mere Dy
comfy IN whatever reglavc restrictions II may see
III IN Imposc rs a condition for the privilege OF eXer-
c,slnc corporate power. So there is abundant al
thoritv by way Of right for the legislation when We
demand The telephone companies use NE puonc
highways and II we have the right to regu''e IN"
tariff Of cab that plies for hire on public street OF
AZ any other lnstrimentay for tl'c transportation
NJ udivduals nong md through the public highways,
vc hnve precisely for the same the hight 10
a., ,n,enor,o,,or M Intelligence. Tie
question: therefore, IS simply ono OF the eApeu'hS VI
the exercise of this power to regulate nephohc
charges. ,,..
when the telephone companies were Originally
orranlzd I'm the state Of New York. t.e service was
SUPERIOR rs compared with what 1T Is as present ana
tho charge was a. month. They were operating
unacr their present patent and had to contend with
She difficulty Of introducing tseir system Ihey "er"
not then able to exercise the enormous ecohonieS
which have since been introduced in relation 10 'nc
service: but their charges TO the community h"Ne
bccn steadily Increasing instead of decreasing
tribute enormous additional sums to th' gaht mo
nopoy.T ,-,...o ..or,,
In reply IN the assertions Of the telephone people
that they are Obliged 10 charge high rates III olucr ~
nav for the heavy expenses they are under III 'ii,'
toulnr the service putting their wires uhder grou"'
luilding new switchbpavls etc. tho subscribers Po'
ont the excellent service and low rates tha' OBTAIN
A., ruropc I'm berlin, for example, according ID m'
rtic, in THE Electrical Review the telephone ser
vice f., admirable. as Is testified by the puoho 'P
preciaton There no private "leP"o"o '
1T Il, Germonv The telephone like the telegraph
l.,le a branch Of the postal service Inc p''oo i'
telephone service Is low. the annual 'harS' '' '' i"
,r,uc,, belug 100 marks year, or something "''
OHM $40 Ey reason of the telephone being part Vi
the postal service. patrons ARE ahofu'i Ih'"s
,rc. 4 telegram received fJr person VINO mas Il
,,,,,,c 4 nj once delivered orally from the ccntral
49,. and the written message thcl forWdruSi, ny
% cal most Likewise a telegram |" tran mite" r ~
,hc -cndcr To- the telegraph Once by telephone ~
,i,l,u.. ia u,e are manufactured rs Hlcilehs ANU II
T. ,l,lncd ARE IN improvement uP0l INC bo' wv
,bouc upan which they arr based - ,,,rr,I
nv. -. I'm Vienna nearly all the wires are 9Arr
5r,nnd There being subway, a. ~ fhl,. Nic t
I, the only capital IN Europe IN Whch ln'Ic n,c ,r
,rouud cable, the sncts being spc nlIy opener toi
ZEN In the provincial town, N"i"," ~ "J Tr,,,ic
uh,ne Conr.inV Il Austria. Limited VIZ lH7".1
irr.tc Lcnlcrg GRAZ CIcrnowltl l1I'ch i'"''"0t,s
md I,cl'tz aln All wirc, are run "Vcrheau Oh s'ne
aud doub' standards -, ~, orc MI silSinr bronze
the company own. Ihc "'rc, n'' W. r.edinr 80
wIrc - NM dianct r. the spans rarely eN.ee,'',r
metres These lines iaV' hitherto slvl IIo - vi IT,
very severe winters of Austria cA'cci,5N fnn Is
rates of sui scriytlon very low VARYING Io'r 80
y.ar I'm -unllcr towns to - los. and - D. III Ni'u"
r .n larcer towns The companies pay ont Of thls
10 n1ns per subscriber. about Us I'd rON"'u0S ="
tb, t,oyrrinlcnt and almost crushing tnAcs' ~, ,
Tho charge, In the other great European C.,l's a..
,ls, f,r below the excessive and eNoit 'ntr I"'o
rved I'm New York The figures nave alrrauN III
mi II hod i'm The Tribune but they VIII bear r'P''
Ia show the unreasonable and cNOrbltAht iiUuc 81 Wv
rilute demanded I'm this city by the Metropolitan TX
t,, ComIonv I'm Paris the rates are ahout flo)
y wear: i'm London 300 year, IN the sina.,
~ England about $50 year; In the Snaicr l.c' Vi
Gcrmany. about s;Ij in spain. about S'e a year.