Evening star., 1900-05-09
TELEPHONE RATES
Existing Company, 1t is Said, Will
Make No Concession.
PROVIDING FOR A new ORGANIZATION
Feeling of the Senate District
Committee.
RELIEF FOR THE CITIZENS

pon I'LL
Conditions in the Senate today are point
| ing toward lively time in the near future
for the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
Company. The probability that there will
be two telephone companies in the District
of Columbia has never been great as it is
now. All this grows out of the fact that
the telephone company operating in the
District of Columbia has. it is understood,
failed to show an inclination in any way TO
meet the popular demand for cheaper
telephone service, and one on the unmeas
ured plan. 1t stands today, it is understood,
on the ground that 1t is giving as cheap
service as 1t can give and pay dividends.
/ and that 1t can do nothing in the nature of
a concession to the demands of business
men.
1t is understood that the result Of this at
titude on the part of the telephone COM
pany will be to cause the Senate committee
on the District of Columbia to favorably
report to the Senate House bill 9Ol1, to in
corporate the Washington Telephone Com
pany and to permit it to INSTALL maintain
and operate a telephone plant and exchange
in the District of Columbia.
1t is generally believed that if this bill
gets before the Senate with favorable re-
port it will be passed by that body by
large majority. Those who are well in
formed the feeling of senators on this
question believe that 1t will not be possible
to prevent the bill coming to vote in the
Senate, and they have no doubt of its pas
sage as soon as 1t can be voted on. Many
senator's have a grievance against the tel
ephone company because of its failure to
adopt the rates fixed in the District appro-
priation bill approved June 80, 1898, which
they believe were reasonable and should
have been inaugurated in accordance with
the terms of the bill.
The House Telephone Bill.
The House bill to incorporate a new tele-
phone company in the District was passed
by the House March 10 last. 1t provides
that the Washington Telephone Company
shall charge not to exceed S36 per annum
for the use of telephone in private resi-
dence nor S4S per a.nnum for the use of a
telephone for business purposes in this city.
Metallic service only may be used, and 1t is
especially stipulated that only telephones
of a good quality may be used. 1t is pro-
vided that if more than one telephone is
on a wire the rates fixed shall be reduced
in accordance with such regulations as NAV
be made by the Commissioners These
rates are for an unmeasured service.
1t Will be seen that the rates provided for
the service to be given by the new COM
pany are less than those fixed in the Dis
tr1ct of Columbia appropriation bill of 1898
for the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
company, and which that company has de-
clared it could not adopt without a prac-
tical cOnfiScation of it's property. The rates
which they refused to adopt are $50 for a
telephone on separate wire. $40 for each
telephone with not more than two a
wire, $50 when not more than three are on
a wire and SO when not more than four
the same wire.
After the bill to incorporate the Wash
ington Telephone Company was passed by
the House 1t was sent to the Senate and
referred to the committee on the Dist rict
of Columbia. The representatives of the
proposed company and of the existing COM
pany were heard by the committee The
representatives of the company seeking in
corporation claimed that they were fully
able to give a satisfactory service at the
rates named in their bill: that they had
done so in other cities, and that the money
for installing their plant would be ready
as soon as they could get authority to GO
to work here The existing companys rep
resentatfves claimed that they could not
adopt even the rates prescribed in the an
preparation bill OF 1898
Existing Company Asked to Concede.
After hearing the arguments of both
sides the District committee considered all
the evidence before them, and 1t is under
stood. requested that the Chesapeake and
potomac company take the matter into
consideration and inform the committee
what, If any. concessions they could make
IN the matter of a cheaper service
Iney did not go so far as to say that
| they wanted them to adopt the rates pre-
scribed in the appropriation bill of IS9S.
They merely wanted some proposition from
them. Some members of the committee
We're on general principles opposed to hay-
ing two telephone companies in the District
If it could be avoided.
They didn't want to see the streets of the
city torn up for new conduits, and they
feared that numerous troubles would grow
out OF the presence of two companies in a
city, so that, in the long run, the good ef-
fects OF the new. company would be ac-
companied by unfavorabie conditions that
they wanted to avoid. They WERE it is
understood. candid in telling the represent
atives of the Chesapeake and Potomac
company how they felt about the matter.
The company was tod, it Is said, that II
they persistently refused to make any con-
rates the committee would make a favora-
BILE report to the Senate on the telephone
bill which passed the House.
Refusal to Concede Anything.
A proposition to this effect was laid be-
fore the representatives Of the old COM
pany. 1t was before them for some days,
and now it Is said their reply is in the
hands of the District committee, and it is
understood to be a complete refusal to
make any concession for lower rates. and
to be a repetition of their former state
ments that they could not lower their rates
This being the case the question will come
before the District committee at it's next
meeting for further considera ton, and
many of those who have followed the tele-
phone matter carefully are strongly of the
belief that the bill to incorporate the new
company will be reported to the Senate
and passed by that body before the present
session is adjourned.