The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-02
TELEPHONE SERVICE
WOULD A NEW COMPANY BE
 ADVANTAGEOUS
Bell System Connected With Cities of the Country and a New Dr.
 ganization Could Not Give
 Same Accommodation

A new company is asking for fran chise from this city granting them the uriyfiege of doing business in Mont gomery. They base their claim fol Consideration upon the fact that the charges of the present company are said to be excessive and that the ser vice iB not what it should be. Grant ing both of these statements 1to-a be true. will the starting of a new com pany remedy the matter?
 A telephone system is unlike any other system of public service. It Is a direct communication between the sub- acribers or patrons themselves through the medium of the central off, flee and the number of patrons con- necfed with any one system determines its value to all other patrons or sub scribers. In gas, water or electric light service this is not true. The ser vice rendered by the company would be just as great to a single patron aa 1t would to each one if there were a thousand patrons connected with the system. With these latter public ser vice competition amounts to something for if a person is dissatisfied with one company it is easy to connect with srl- other. and 1t does not depend on who else is taking their service whether he xets what he wants or not, it is mere ~ a matter between the company and the patron.
 with a telephone service it is cif- ferent. It can only be valuable to the patron or subscriber upon basis of fhe number of people that particular system reaches. If subscriber cuts loose from the old system for the new he leaves behind the whole system of AId subscribers that cannot he reached At all by the new lines dnd he soon <inda a thousands of others have Sound. that what at first blush looked like a pretty little scheme to save few dollars has only got him into deener water than eve. and that if he reaches the people he desires to be in touch with he must put the old 'pfone hack in, his house and bear the double exuense and annoyance or lose much x,rofitable business. Besi les there are many other points of disadvantage that don't appear at the start.
 Then again there is another point, The old company which has been oper~ ating in Montgomery for the last twen- fv years has built up a system of long distance lines connecting Montgomery with Mcbila Birmingham. Selma, Ope- ffka. Atlanta Savannah, Ga, and near Tv all intermediate points. and Is now actively engaged in building additional lines to reach a section of this State, whose trade is very valuable to the merchants of Montgomery; that is, line to connect Union Springs, Eufau- ia. Troy Clayton and all of this sec ton of the State with Montgomery. Will the patrons of the old company he willing to cut themselves loose from this valuable connection for the sake of aaf attempt to save a few dollars zyear, when the trade reached by them by long g-distance lines will urdoubted- " amount to more than the entire an .ual cost of the local telephone? The new telephone company is not in position to furnish the businessrpu public bf Montgomery with these connections, And 1t is certain that large propor- ion of the business houses will refuse 9 give up their connection with the