The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-14
THE HELLop SERVICE.
Rates for Regular City Subscribers and
Long Distance Telephones Reduced.
Record of Few Seconds.

RECORD OF q Few SecOnuss
The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph
Company has announced reduction oil
rates per month on three classes as fol
lows:
Service No from SO SO to So sc
Service No. from 20 90 to "a o.
Service No. 3.................fro from 50 5O to $z 5l
'sThe reduced telephone rates were not
made in anticipation of competition, y
said L. H. jacob. contract agent of the
company, yesterday. eve are enabled by
the use of the nickel slot to make material
reductions, and it is our purpose to make
the service as cheap as possible to our
patrons. You should see Mr. Glass, our
special agent. and he can give information
more in detail"
Mr. Glass said the reduction was not
brought about by the fear of competition.
The principle governing the company was
to make the rates as low as the business
would justify. "By using the nickel slot
in corner groceries and other places where
people 60 in and solicit the privilege of
using the telephone we can dispense with
ticket-takers and collect for such promis-
cuous use When nickel is dropped in
the slot the central office is buzzed and the
connection established. The present re-
duction applies merely to the retail mer-
camille community, and we expect to ex-
tend the reduction to resident household
ers. The system of putting ten subscribers
on each pair of wires will be introduced. A
special ring has been invented to indicate
the house wanted in the circuit.
Now, as a matter of fact" continued
Mr.. Glass, 1--WE offer on long-distance tele-
phoning some advantages that other cities
have not offered. On the long-distance
line from Chicago TO New York there is no
s. f1o Il
no rate lower than So. Mr.. 6abin had the
idea of shorter time and lower rate, SO
we give three-minute service, two-minute
service, one minute, half-minute and a
quarter of minute. The fiftee n-second
rate-the shortest time allowed-is only so
cents and you would be surprised at the
messages that can be received and trans
mitted in that length of time"
Mr.. Glass gave an example and while
the language of his object-lesson is not
quoted the length of the conversation Is
indicated. Should the news agent at Los
Angeles ring up Mr.. Boyle of The CALL
business Office the conversation might be
conducted in this fashion:
Doyle of Los Angeles-Is that you, Boyle7
Boyle of San Francisco-Yes. Go ahead.
Time is now taken by the young lady
and the seconds counted until the CONVEX
sation ceases.
Doyle-Is last Sundays edition of THE CALL
exhausted?
Boyle-Not quite.
Doyle-Then send US 1900 more copies.
Boyle--All right. They go on next train.
Does the increase go to next Sunday?
Doyle-Yes, until we notify you otherwise.
Good-by.
Here the conversation terminates, and a
record of time shows fifteen seconds.
Mr.. Glass escorted the reporter into an
other room, where one of the young ladies
explained how the seconds were registered
on the long-distance circuits. 1t was Incl
dentally ascertained that the charge for. a
minutes conversation with Los Angeles
was 81 80.
The company is now withdrawing the
oldstyle instruments and putting in new
and approved iong-distance telephones
where changes are made in the residence
districts of the City.