Omaha daily bee., 1900-02-02
The FIELD OF ELECTRICITY
Competition in Telephone Business Brought
to an End in Michigan.
CLEVER PLANS TO DODGE PROMISES
Review of the Many UscS to which
ElectrIcity IL P~ut-Dangcr of
oNcrcrowding Electrical
Profession.


The consolidation OF the independent and
the Bell Telephone companies In Michigan
recently is generally accepted as the begin
Eing OF the end Of competition In the tele-
phone business. The opposition company
was more strongly entrenched in public IA
Nor In Michigan than in any other state
In the union and controlled the bulk Of
telephone patronage. Rates were low and
the service fairly good. Assurances were
given with the announcement OF the con
solidation that existing rates would not be
changed, but patrons hid not take the rledge
seriously. They know that such promises
were made to be broken and they we're not
surprised when the combine showed its true
colors.
when the practical cons )lidation OF the
telephone companies was effected, says the
Detroit Journal, the management made pub
lie the announcement that the rates would
not be advanced as a consequence, but on
the contrary that the rates would remain
undisturbed while the service would be
greatly improved. As proof CT the sincerity
OF the announcement flaming advertise
ments were published once in all the daily
papers offering to close twenty-lve-year
contracts at prevailing rates.
within a fortnight OF the consumma-
tion of the deal and with the advertisement
still fresh in mind the Michigan Bell com
pany is making a systematic and strenu-
Gus canvass OF the local field for the pur-
pose of persuading subscribers to the pre-
vailing service to apply for a better serv-
fee at the rate Of s72 a year. exactly three
times the rate named for the service now
given. In explanation Of this crucade for
- 4 I'D l. ~ 800. r. tI-
company submit that they are about to in
stall a new switchboard and that the
higher-priced phones will be directly con-
nected with the long distance system"
thereby securing to patrons greater con-
venience.
ut cannot be that this Is the first step
taken to provide a better service, for both
President Flowers and President Glidden are
on record against any increase of price for
lettering the service, yet, there is some
thing about it quite suggestive of the way
of the heather Chinee, whose ways are dark
and tricks vain. The induCement held out
that the new phone will be connected with
the long distance service is not enticing to
the average subscriber, for the average sub
scriber has use for a long distance service
only once a year, il so frequently. and bust
ness subscribers on the metallic circuit are
already served SATISFACTORILY. II is IepIe-
scented. however. that the new phone will
be much superior to the old, although the
old phone will be maintained, but It's con-
noction with the new switchboard" will be
incomplete and the service will not be OF
the best.
lone cannot, in view Of all the circum-
stances, see in this new enterprise anything
less than a subterfuge under which the
monopoly, having got control Of the field,
purposes to treble the prices of telephone
service. 1t will do this, doubtless, by per-
suading business firms and rich individual
subscribers to take the superior service at
the higher price and then by making the
- cheaper service inferior. and unsatisfactory
drive others to subscribe for the s72 service.
If this be not the real purpose, why do the
officers who, a fortnight ago. were promis-
ing that the service would be improved and
the rates not disturbed. now publicly admit
that the service of the cheaper phones will
be unsatisfactory because a new switch
board is to be Installed ?"
Uses of Electricity.
An address on Everyday Uses of Elec-
~tricity" was delivered last Saturday evening
at the Montauk club, Brooklyn, by Charles
w. Price, the editor of Electrical Review,
In speaking OF the telephone Mr.. Price said
ITO show what remarkable doings take
place every day under our very ears. as il
were, | would state that at the present time
between all important telephone centers Of
the United States, while the trunk wires are
being used for transmitting speech, there is
being sent over them simultaneously tele'
graphic messages without producing any in
reference with the spoken words. Were 4
net for immutable laws of nature, which
cannot be varied By man or corporation, 20,
- - H. IL 81 ~ -,n-
message thus traversing these very conduc,
tors, Although the telegraphic impulses &C,
tually traverse the coil of wire in the tele'
phone at your ear and actually speed alonf
the Identical copper conductor at that tint
conveying the voice currents, you heal
neither dot nor dash OF the telegraphic mes
sage. The ear, keerly tuned to these rapiC
vibrations constituting sound, is deaf to thu
vibrations of the SLOW rate of the telegraph.
Mr.. Price said that over $500, 600, coo haC
been invested In electric lighting in thu
United States and that the total horse-pCweI
required in the electric lighting, arc and in
candescent. of Greater New York required
not less than 200 600 horsepower. Thlt
would be sufficient to pump the East rive
dry in a day and vet this power would b.
nearly doubled by the electric Traction
plants now in existence and building. II
speaking OF the progregs OF the electric rail
way Mr., Price stated that it was less thar
thirteen years old and yet within that perio,
an expenditure had been made Of more thar
81, 200, 000, 900 and he believed that the yea
1900 would see the gross earnings of tn
electric traction interests Of the Unite
States amount to considerably more thal
5000, 600, OOO.
One can travel" he said, "by clectri
cars from Paterson. y. j., via New Yorj
TitN IN HnrtlapA Mo NTH ppI. thr,o a.,
significant interruptions of less than GfteeI
miles altogether; passengers afflicted wit
the transfer microbe might even ask to b