The morning times., 1896-01-05
NO NEW PHONE COMPANY
Commissioners Disapprove Of
Bill Before the Senate.
STREETS WOULD BE TORN UP
They Would Prefer to Have Present
Monopoly Pay Taxes on It's Earn
ings and Furnish Service Free to
the District-Few Cities, They Say,
Have Lower Rutcs.

The position of the Commissioners in re-
| gard to telephone service is made clear
by their disapproval of the bill now be-
! Tore the Senate to charter new com
pany, their disapproval of bill last
| year, and the substitute bill then offer
ed, together with long letter to Senator
| Harris at the time. Their letter to Senator
Mcmillan yesterday, published exclusive
| ly III the Evening Times, IL supported by
| these same facts and figures then furnish
ed Senator Harris.
The bill rejected last year proposed that
rates should be reduced arbitrarily TO $50
IA year Tor Il INA ximum. ana S25 each where
| more than four telephones should he scrv-
| ed together. The bill disapproved yester-
| day asks the same rights and privileges
under the same restrictions as the present
telephone company, and promises 10 pro-
vide telephones at $40 year for residences
and $42 year for business houses, as
against existing rates ranging from $72
TO Sl25 a year.
STREETS WOULD BE TORN UP.
The bill offered by the Commissioners
last year, rs Il substitute for that disap-
proved then, provides that the present
company shall make 10 them annually
sworn statement OF its gross receipts, and
pay 3 per cent of such receipts in place of
| taxes. The corporation, having Its legal
body outside the District. now pays no
taxes whatever. The substitute bail also
provides that the company shall furnish
telephone service free to the government
and shall, upon thirty days notice, give
to the Commissioners at least one duct in
any Of its conduits.
The prevailing consideration with the
Commissioners against granting new
company the right TO fear up the streets
Is that the business is natural monopoly
and, therefore, only one company should
be allowed. They state that the presi-
dent OF the present company claims 10 have
invested nearly So 100000, Of which some
1868 900 has been put into improvements
since 1888. In 1898 the net profit was
little more than / per cent ON their invest
mcnt. This seems TO indicate that the
company is keeping up fully with the
advances OF science in the business.
SERVICE NOT SATISFACTORY. 81.
comparison of rates from other cities
shows that only three had lower rates
while two others were as low. IN all
these there was reason To believe the
service was not satisfactory.
The company now carries on lis poles
500 miles OF District wires and offers the
use OF its conduits, but the government
is paying 1t $4,000 year for telephone
service.
The report or Superintendent Of Telephone
to Senator McMilland and its suggestion
that all telephone and telegraph companies
shall be made To give place 10 public wires
i'll their conduts is indorsed.
Eugene h. Jefferys OF No. 3 B street south |
east was Informed yesterday that he could |
putup street lampunder IN e COMMISSIONS |
approval of its location and style, II he |
would agree To maintain il at his own
expense. |
Ex-Station Keeper A. V. Conway of No. |
police precinct, Georgetown, who was |
dismissed from the service some weeks ago |
has been trying to secure reinstatement. |
The Commissioners yesterday wrote him |
that the action taken was final.
John T. Earrtil has heen appointed a prt |
vate wato4inan for duty between Twentieth |
street and Rock Greek, Pennsylvania ave- |
nue and " street northwest.
REASSESSMENT OF WATER MAINS. |
The Commissioners sent to Congress a |
draft of a bin for reassessmcnt of water |
main taxes where they nay hereafter be |
declared void donaccount ofsome techncality. |
Its terms are Identical with those OF the |
bill providing for the reassessment of all |
taxes. Its purpose apparently is to provide
for reassessment of water main taxes |
anyhow in case the other bill should fail.
The Commissioners received from secre
tary OIney yesterday a copy OF the Berlin
report on street cleaning for 1898.
Water mains will be laid on the west side |
streets, 347 feet
j. S. Thompson. resident student at the
Washington Insane Asylum, has resigned.