The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-03-06
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The Prospect o Cheaper Telephones
In the Euturc.

The Prospect for Cheaper Telephones
In the Future.
So general is the use of the telephone
In our thriving cities and villages. that
we shall doubtless render our readers
u service by placing before them the
situation at the present time.
Perhaps we shall 20 supply unneccs-
sarily elemental information in re-
marking at the outset that the two
principal features of the telephone
covered by the patent laws are the
transmitter into which the message is
spoken, and tho receiver, by placing
which at the ear, the message is
heard. ,
AS we have said, the patents bear
especially upon the receiver and tho
transmitter. But the patent on the re-
ceiver expired on the last Wednesday
of January. This might leave the i'm
preston that half the telephone was
free to the public, and the other half
covered by patents, thus insuring the
continuance of the monopoly q while
longer.
But right here two important facts
are to be noted. First, the receiver.
can be used as u transmitter, as any
n can discern by making the expert
ment. The Bell transmitter is prefera-
BILE but supposing that to be protected
by Il patent the receiver can be made to
serve as u transmitter. These receiv-
ers are now offered for sale at less
thar two dollars, and will doubtless
soon be sold cheaper, the batteries,
wires, and other equipment being also
offered at reasonable rates. The re-
suit is that any one can buy q pair OF
receivers, put up a private wire be-
tween rooms in his house, or between
his house and Office, or his office and
stable, or between his own house
and that of a friend.
1t is evident we are about to witness
lively competition in the matter OF
telephone extension. Of course, the
Bell Company's exchange facilities by
which 1T maintains such extensive
connections as its central Offices afford,
give 1T u great advantage at the start,
but two companies arc already ad.
vocating the setting up of Independent,
lines, and the maintenance OF exchange
systems. Right here it would seem as
II a law should be passed requiring
the Bell Telephone Company to re.
celve and transmit messages from
other systems on the general plan O
exchange required of the various tele.
graph and railway companies proba.
bly, we shall have such u law before
long.
Another matter to be noted is the
fact that 1T is by no means certain that
the patent of the Bell t%ransmitter still
holds. Without going into the par.
clculars of this matter, it is suilicicn,
to say hat the question is now i'm the
courts. Indeed n of the Independent
companies offers to supply Il long dis.
lance transmitter and it publishes q
letter from the President of the Bell
Company notifying the company that
probably no suit will be brought
against it until q decision on the mat
ter. now pending, it reached in the
United States Circuit Court.
1t WILDE seen, therefore, that the
prospect for cheap telephones is ex.
ccedlngly good, and the cities are tax.
ing the matter up. a large company
has been formed in Chicago, and in
Philadelphia it is known that the
diamond Telephone Company has de-
cided to fight the Bell monopoly foi
the business in tho East. Contracts
are now being made by this company
Tor towns and cities in Pennsylvania
and New Jersey. Both these cities
have granted permission to two in
dependent companies respectively to
put up lines.
During the past six years, the Bell
company have paid average dividends
OF over $500, 600, in surplus earnings.
and 81, 200, 600 regular dividends, on an
average capital of $l1, 200. 600, making
an average dividend of OF over forty
1--WE per ccnt.-Christian at Work.