Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-15
Hearing Given by Commissioners on
a Pending Bill.
COMPANY WANTS DISTRICT FRANCHISE
Arguments Made in Behalf of an
Independent System.
OPERATIONS EI.SEW HERE

A hearing was given today by the Dis
trict Commissioners in the matter of Sen
ate bill 12.'', ITO permit the Washington
Telegraph and Telephone Company to in
stall. maintain and operate telephone and
telegraph plant and exchange in the Dis
trict of Columbia"
There were present in the interest of the
proposed measure Messrs. H. w. Rusk
George r, Webb, Samuel Ross, Sidney H
Brown and II. w. Webb
Mr.. George R. Webb addressed the Com
missioners, ccnfining his remarks principal
~ to a statement of the resources and efIi-
cheney of the corporation interested in
the establishment Of the independent tele-
phone system which is being introduced in
various cities, and which the contemplated
company desires to establish here.
He stated that Mr.. Latter, at one time
general agent of the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company, is The president of the COM
b1nation which controls the interests of the
Independent telephone system iii different
cities, and that the people who were for
merly interested in the street railways of
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Eikins and Widener-
have taken hold of the project
The United Telephone and Telegraph
Company" he said, which owns the Pitts
burg plant, and the Baltimore and Will
mington plants. will own the stock of the
Washington plant. We have a separate
organization in each town. 1T is our in
tention to join our New York and Phila-
Gelphia lines and come down through Will
mington and Baltimore this way and go
to Pittsburg.'
Other Cities.
He stated also that Independent systems
were being established in Cleveland, st.
Louis and Chicago and various other towns
in the west, with all of which the main
company would eventually combine and
establish complete long distance service.
The rates, he said would be $4S a year
for business telephone, and S36 for resi-
Gence telephone, these being the standard
rates adopted in each city.
I'VE want to put in a first-ciass plant"
he continued I'VE will give metallic
circuit, unlimited service without reference
to number of calls, for S4S for business and
$36 for residence. We do not encourage
three or four wire. We give straight
telephone wire, So and 81 month. We
would put all wires underground, just
as far as we could
Number of Ducts Required.
Mr.. Brown, the chief engineer of the
United Telegraph and Telephone Company
of Baltimore, in answer to inquiries made
by the Commissioners regarding the num-
Der of ducts and the size of the trenches
that would be required for Installing the
plant in this city, said that there would not
be over forty ducts at the most, based
upon an estimate of five thousand sub
scribers Using a oOO-pair cable as a stand
ard, there would be needed only about
twenty-five cables. This would allow, he
said, for a reserve on account of unused or
defective wires,
AS to the trenches he said: IF we could
lay close to the Surface-below the regula-
ton six-inch space-it would not take more
than one or two and a half feet in depth,
and about eighteen inches in width
He stated that Ii would not be necessary