The record-union., 1899-12-27

lngS OF his company We're all prOnt was
a mistake, for though it had $4,000
600 invested on the Coast, it made no
more than 6 per cent on the invest
ment.
Trustee Brown said the Capital Com
pany had exhausted every means to
induce the Sunset Company to play
fair, and that as a last resort it had
come to the Board of Trustees for as
sistance. He thought it only fair that
the Board should give the local COM
pany it's moral support. If he had a
friend in the railroad shops and de-
sired to talk with him over a Capital
phone, he wanted to. do so, and thought
the other members wanted the same
thing. ~
Mr.. Glass thought that because the
Capital Company was losing money on
it's experiment, there was no reason
why it should come before the Board of
Trustees and plead the baby act.
w. e. Gerber, one of the Directors
OF the Capital Company, said Mr.. Glass
was wrong-that the Capital Company
was not pleading the baby act; that it
was paying a dividend to it's stockhold-
ers every month, though small one.
Aside from that. it was giving better
service than the Sunset Company, and
could give him pointers in that line.
You don't give the switching SER
vice we do said Mr.. Glass.
I'VE give better service than you do.
and the people know it," retorted Mr..
Gerber Mr.. Gerber said that when
c. P. Huntington, President of the
Southern Pacific Company, was here
last he told Fred Cox that he had no
objection to the company using Capital
Company phones, and that if he would
get sSabins consent to put them in it
would be all right. The Capital Com
pany only desired to have phones
placed in the places mentioned for the
convenience of it's patrons. If the Sun
set Company ever gets judgment
against any subscriber of the Capital
Company the latter will pay it. All
it desires is the right to place phones in
semi-public places for the accommoda-
| ton of it's patrons.
Mr.. Glass said that Mr.. Gerber merely
asked the Sunset Company to give up
every right it held to the Berliner pat
ent, a thing he knew would not be
DONE
Trustee Devine wanted to know if
Mr.. Glass positively declined to do any,
thing to relieve the situation-anything
by which the local company might get
it's phones into the offices of big ccr-
porations for the accommodation of it's
patrons.
Mr.. Glass said he positively declined.
George B. Katzenstein, Director of
the Capital Company, said Mr.. Glass
had built up a big straw man in the
form of the Berliner patent, and told
the public that if they used Carital
telephone instruments they would be
sued. The local company, he said,
wanted justice, nothing more. The Sun
set Company allowed it's phones to go
into the railroad freight depot, but not
in Ginsberg's office, and if there was
danger that that company would lie
considered as giving up it's contention
regarding the Berliner patent by plac-
ing a phone in Ginsberg's office the
same would apply to the phones in the
freight and other Offices He once went
into Wells, Fargo & Co. s express office
and seeing Capital phone on the wall
went to it to ring up his wife. One of
the clerks told him not to do it, that
there were positive orders not to use
done would imperil his position. The
express company, because of it's enor-
| nous business, was ch,iged to receive
messages over the Capital phone, but
| would not allow it to be used TO COM
municate with parties outside. The
Capital Telephone Company merely de-
manded justice.
Mr.. Glass said he did not before know
t-,t,1 IN, r q
| Southern Pacific Company's ticket Of
| fee, freight sheds, ETC., but that he
would see if they could not be excluded.
Trustee Devine said he had been in
clined to feel friendly toward the Sun
set Company, but since it appeared that
a boycott was on, and as he was I'M
alterably opposed to fostering monop--
olies, he was willing that the motion
put two weeks ago-that all Sunset
/ phones be dispensed with in city offices
be taken up. Further than that, if
| the Sunset Company insisted on Its
boycott he should insist that the Cor
poration Counsel investigate and find
out whether that company had not for
| feited it's franchise by failing to live up
to it's contract. In view of the fact
that Mr. Bentley, who had made the
motion, was absent, he moved that the
telephones of the Sunset Company be
excluded from all city offices, including
the police station and fire department
| Mckay advised letting the matter go
over one week.
| Mr. Glass said he wanted it under
stood that the Sunset Company had no
authority to go beyond the simple rent
| ing of the machines.
Trustee Mckay again insisted that
| the matter go over for a week, saying
he would not vote on the question un-
less it did.
Trustee Kent said the boycott was
un-American and against the interest
of the people at large. Mr.. Glass
statement that the Sunset Company
! people We're here first, and as the ma
jority of the people seemed to favor
protecting the local company, ne
thought it should be done. For his
part, he was willing to take the chance
of being sued for using the Capital
| phone. for he had nothing to lose. He
wanted the Corporation Counsel to in
! qure and ascertain whether or not the
Sunset Company had lived up to its
contract.
At this point Mr. Glass left the hall.
Trustee Paine offered an amendment
to Devine's motion, to the effect that
| the Sunset Company's instruments be
excluded from all city offices except
the police station and the fire depart
ment, but it received no second.