The record-union., 1899-12-27
TELEPHONE FIGHT IS hot.
CITY TRUSTEES SIDE WITH
CAPITAL COMPANY.
The Sunset Phones Ordered Ex-
cluded From All the City
Offices.

cluded From All the City
Offices.
s At its meeting last night the City
Board of Trustees, by the votes Oh
Tebbets, Paine, Devine, Kent anu
Brown, ordered that all telephone IN
struments owned or operated by the
Sunset Telephone Company, now IN use
in all city offices, including the ponce
station and the fire department, be ex-
cluded.
The President of the board (Mckay)
declined to vote, and Bentley, douglas
and Dolan were absent
After preliminary matters had peeii
disposed of NJ J. Dillman, President
of the Capital Telephone Company, al
dressed the board, and requested thdt
it take action to protect the local com
pany against the alleged boycott IN
stituted against it by the Sunset COM
pany. He called attention to the facs
that though the grievance had been be-
fore the board three weeks, the Sunset
Company had not seen fit to send a
representative to explain matters.
=
of the Sunset Telephone Company at
San Francisco, appeared and announced
that he was ready to take up the cudgei
on behalf of his company, if the nature
of the grievance were explained to MIN.
Thereupon Trustee Paine briefly re-
counted the complaint made by the d.
rectors of the Capital Telephone COM
pany. the investigation made by COM
mittee appointed to investigate the
matter, the proof laid before the COM
mittee that the Sunset Company naa
contracts with other big corporations
whereby such corporations were pouno
to allow none except the Sunset COM
pany's phones in their offices, and the
action of the committee. The resolu-
ton in which it was proposed to exclude
all Sunset phones from city offices was
also read.
Manager Glass thought the complaint
made was vague, and he could only
deny that the Sunset Telephone COM
pany had any contract of any kind with
any person, company or corporatloh'
whereby any such person, company OF
corporation agreed to refuse to allow
Capital Telephone Company's instru-
ment in its offices.
Devine informed Mr.. Glass that the
committee in it's investigations had
been given documentary evidence in the
form of letters from managers of cor
porations. showing beyond doubt that
such contracts did exist.
Mr.. Glass said the Berliner patent
covered every form of transmitter or
telephone in use, and that two suits
which had been brought against the
Ben Company, contesting its rights
had been decided in favor of the COM
pany. Subsequently opposition COM
panies had sprung up. When the Capt.
tai Telephone Company started in bus'-
ness. he said, its subscribers had been
notified of the existence of the Berliner
patent, and informed that all parties
using the new phones would be re-
sponsible in case the Bell Company won
it's suit, as he felt satisfied. it would.
Mr.. Herrin, attorney for the Southern
Pacific Company, had carefully exam
ined into the matter, and on his recon-
mendation the Southern Pacific COM
pany had carefully decided to not nave
the Capital Company's phones placed
in it's offices, as it did not care to take
the responsibility, nor defend suits
which might be brought by the Bell
Company.
Mr., Glass said there was no money
for telephone company in any one
exchange, but that the returns came
from the system as a whole. The sun
set Company had graded rates down
until telephones were in use in almost
every house in the city. 1t was not
true that the Capital Company mad
been the means of reducing rates. The
Sunset Company, he said, was really
Handicapped in it's operations, mas
much as it paid a royalty on the Ber-
liner patent for every phone it used,
whereas the Capital Company paid no
such royalty.
Trustee Tebbets wanted to know if
it was not a fact that the Sunset COM
pany had written letters ordering per-
sons in it's employ not to use the capt.
tai Company's machines, and Mr.
Glass said he knew of no such letters
having been written.
M. ]. Diilman said Mr.. Glass brought
up the matter of the Berlfner patent
as his strong point. The Capital Com
pany, when it went into business, had
guaranteed each and every one of its
patrons protection from any suits which
might be brought against them, and
the company, he said, was able to make
good its guarantee. The Berliner pa
tent, he thought, cut very little figure
in the face of letters and kilograms
showing that the Sunset Company held
contracts with the South Pacific Com
pany, the Postal Telegraph Company
and others, which would not permit
them to allow Capital phones in their
offices, even though they were put in
free of charge. He said when the Capt.
tai Company organized the rates for
main lines were Sc per month, on party
lines 81 per month. The local company
had cut rates so that reasonable re-
Enumeration would result and that the
recent cuts made by the Sunset Com
pany were for the purpose of driving
the Capital Company out of existence.
Mr.. Glass replied that the rates
charged here apply to every city from
San Diego to Spokane, and that the
present $125 rate would have been
made had the Capital Company never