The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1900-01-19
Many Witnesses Examined Before a
Big Crowd.
It Was a Very Spicy
Hearing.
Aldermen TO Take Final Action
on Wednesday Next.

The 1rst pitched battle of the telephone
war occurred last evening before the
board Of aldermen on the petition Of It g
Diriso Telephone company to enter the
city and do business. Judge Enoch
Foster, W. g. Ration, Esq, and Mr..
Whittlsbee OF New London appeared for
the petitioners, while Hon. Clarence Hale
represented the remonstrsnts, tbs New
England Telephone Telegraph company.
Many witne sses were examined. All the
aldermen were present. The hearing did
not come to an snd until twelve O'Clock.
tioners and made q plain statement
of what the new telephone company de
sires, which 10 for the right to build oon-
duiis and operate telephone 81 stsm and
also for the right to use poles already
located and set up for the stringing Of
their wires on those streets whore no
conduits will be built ut present. Mr..
Eaton said the new company would
give the citizens cheap and Improved
tie e7hone service he said that the COM
pany was perfectly willing to deposit a
bond of sio,0 to indemnify the city
Tor any loss that 1t might sustain
through the building Of These conduits.
He said the new company would give
the city as many free telephones Ms 1t Is
now using for which the city Is now pay
ing an annual rental of $500.
MIR. Herbert Il. Mics was then called
as a wit ness fer the petitioners. He IL
an electrician In the employ Of the New
England Automatic Telephone oompa-
ny. be said the automatic telephone
swish was invsptsd ten years ago. The
present switch differs q great deal from
the original invention. The original
switch worked well but required too
much wiring for commercial uses Since
the invention was made and even with
In three months the witch has been
N uoh improved. He had seen the switch
In use at Geneva, Amsterdam and Au-
burn. He said he found the telephones
working very satisfaotori lily In these cities
and this was the unanimous opinion Of
the subscribers Of these cities. The
switch In use at these places is Of pa
tern three years old. The rates In &C.
neya are $50 Q year for home and Office
for $50. The Automatic telephone COM
pany employs but one man IN Geneva.
Connections were made by him there on
an average OF three and q half seconds
each. He called so subscribers up and
got all but one Of these. The service
appealed t, business men because Ii was
secret and rapid. Mr.. Niles went on to
speak, in answer to questions by MIR.
Eaton, of the satisfactory way in which
the automatic telephone worked Mt Au-
burn, Geneva and Amsts rdam. He said
the subscribers In this city all preferred
the sutomat to the Bell sy stem.
He said the automatic telephones were
better than the Bell telephones because
they were cheaper, more rapid, secret
and cheaper to operate. He said there
we're IS automatic exchanges in opera
tion at the present time. Augusta, Ga,
has the largest automatic exchange now
In operation, while the exchange now In
process OF construction In Chicago will
care for 80. 900 subsoribers. Fail River
and New Bedf I'd are also preparing to
install the new system.
Mr.. Hale cross-examined Mr.. Niles
lie WAS asked in what town thsy have
the latest switch. He said in Auburn
or Amsterdam. He said the automatis
telephone system required more wires II
it did not operate party lines. In answer
to questions Mr.. Miles said that In one
instance he had failed to get person
whom he had callsd because that line
was busy.
When asked how he knew the line was
busy and, was not out Of order, Mr.
Niles said that he happened to be in the
exchange at the time and saw that the
switches were engaged.
-Mr. Hale asked Mr.. Niles II he knew
much about telephones and he said he
had only had a year and half of expert
enoe.
MIR. Niles said that all the lines In the
exchange could be tested 10 a few min
utes without trouble every morning.
In answer to Mr.. Hale's questions he
said the now system did not call up the
sui scrIbsrs every morning because the
line was tested without that. mir. Hale
asked him II by this method the sub
scribsr could be heard to speak SO as to
test tie batteries, and MIR. Niles replied
that they could not, but that they could
be called II necessary and the batteries
tested in that manner.
William G. Nash said he had investi-
gated this automatic system at Prince
ton, N. J. He tried the system indis-
oriminately throughout she city and
found 1t to work perfectly. The people
whom b. met and talked With In tn .
city were pleased with It, He found the
same thing In Amsterdam, N. Y. and