The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-07-06
Worcester Company's
Petitioners to Be
Heard Tonight.
WITHOUT. A CENTRAL OFFICE.
The Hello Girl to Be Elm
mated From the
Proposition.

There will be a hearing before the
board of aldermen, tonight, on the pc
tltion of the Worcester Telephone Com
pany, for right and authority to open
streets, etc, of the city and to lay and
maintain underground oonduits, ETC.,
which means in effect that an indie
pendent telephone company will seek
10 obtain franchise from the city of
Worcester.
The company, as organized, is COM
posed largely of Worcester men who
pelieye there is room for the proper
maintenance of another telephone COM
pany in the city. The petition bears
the names of many prominent business
and professional men, and before the
matter is settled there is likely to be a
spirited contest. The new company
claims to be able to furnish telephone
service at a considerable reduction
over the present charges, and the claim
or the promoters of the enterprise is
mat one of the various automatic de-
vises will reduce telephone charges by
doing away entirely with the expense
OF operators
There was considerable discussion on
the street yesterday as to whether or
not the company will be able to do
what it says is within its powAr in the
way or making some return for the
privilege it asks from the CITY. The
experience of the Peoples Telephone
Company, which announced it's inten-
ton to furnish service for about sos a
year and called two mass meetings to
arouse enthusiasm, is recalled. The
promoters, when it developed that only
score or business men were sufficient
fn
scribed, abandoned the attempt to push
the company and withdrew from the
field. ''-e
me men who have now taken up the
gauntlet and who will be heard on their
petlllon tonight are substantial bust
ness men, but electricians and experts
VINO are versed in telephone matters
say that there is not a city in the
country the size of Worcester where
any sort Of an automatic device is in
operation, and the belief is that such a
system of telephone service conId NOT
be installed locally with any measure
OF success or the realization of the
dreams of the promoters. ~.-.,,..sl.
me belief is common that a tele-
phone service can be maintained cheap-
er tnan at present in Worcester. but
only through the instrumentality of the
system now employed The automatic
device is secuted, and the opinion pre-
walls that if the Worcester Telephone
company obtains franchise 1t will fail
10 make any return to the CITY of Wor-
cester for the privilege of erecting more
or the poles for the abolition of which
every city in the commonwealth is
struggling, and for tearing UP the civ
streets and pavements.
In the Worcester Telephone exchange
there are constantly employed fore
OF 40 operatives. During the business
portlon OF the day, one employee is
kept constantly at work answering
questions and Strengthening out diff
cultles. The number of subscribers who
get tangled even in the simplicity of
the present system, would be incredi-
Die to the novice in the workings of the
exchange. The new company proposes.
according to its announced intention
TO put in a system infinitely mora com
phcated and one in which the sui scrib-
er becomes his own operator. The pcs
slbilities for complication of difficult
Ties is what has worked against the
automatic system on small circuits.
and in city the size of Worcester, il
is claimed that a company has never
yet been found with hardihood enough
to attempt its installation.
The saving of expense in the redLc-
.. u
In the opinion Of competent judges, be
more than met by the increased ex-
pense of maintenance which the sys-
TEN would involve. In the local central
exchange there are employed from 25
to 40 linemen, and ten inspectors are
found necessary to keep the service
up to the requirements. One man is
constantly at work on the simplest
kind of switchboard that has yet
been devised, and he has all he can
DO to keep the mass of wires in plac e
and in proper shape. The new com
pany, If it holds to it's declarat ton in
favor of the automatic system, is Crap
ping with the most involved and com
plicat7d telephone system that has
ever been invented.
To keep the machines in order it is
estimated will require at least three
times the force employed under the
present system, and it is possible that
one severe storm would even then
cripple the entire service.
That the system is involved, is ac-
knowledged. For the right to put IN
and maintain the service, which means
the tearing up of many miles of
streets and the erection of numerous
poles, the new company will show at
the hearing tonight figures declaring
It's power to furnish a telephone SER
vice at cheaper cost to subscribers.
The struggle in telephone exchanges
and the fight between the companies
for many years has been to improve
the service. Any cheapening of the
quality of the service rendered has
always been met with loud and long
howl, and the local exchange. after
adopting every legitimate means of lnl-
proving its service, is a bureau for Il e
registration of kicks almost daily.
1t has been found elsewhere that tie
public is usually ready and willing TO
pay for the best variety of service,
whether in telephones or any other
convenience or necessity, and the mere
argument of cheaper cost often carries
with 1t the proof Of cheaper goods.
At the hearing. tonight the new COM
pany will tell what it proposes 70 dc.
KNIGHTS OF SHERWOOD FOREST.
Yrz.,.. - -