Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-15
TELEPHONE SERVICE
OF NEW YORK COMPANY
TEsTIFIEs BEFORE COMMISSION.
Rates Formerly Charged and Those
Now Prevailing inefficient
Methods I'm Europe.

Mr.. L. n. Bethel, general manager Of
the New York Telephone Company was
before the industrial commission in the
Bliss building today. Mr.. Bethel described
the telephone system of New York and
said that the present plant has been wholly
renewed twice and a large part Of IL had
been replaced three times. in order to keep
1t thoroughly up to the times with every
approved apparatus and method that could
be devised. 1t is now pronounced, he said,
the best telephone system in the world.
During the past three years there has been
net gain of 81 500 telephone subscribers
in the New York company operating in
Manhattan and Bronx.
Rates Now Charged.
The lowest measured service rate in New
York is 81 a year, but fiat rate costs
from $50 to S240. The old plan OF a fat
rate for a wire has given place TO a rate
per message. What are called supplemental
lines are provided in New York at 81 a
year, on which the rate per message is 3
cents. These supplemental lines are con-
nected with an exchange connecting with
the trunk lines. AS many $50 such tele-
phones may be on one OF these exchanges.
There are now in Manhattan 1 300 of this
class of these supplemental exchanges. He
said the S240 fiat rate for single line had
often been quoted outside of New York as
showing a high rate, but the fact was he
said. today out of 62,6o0 subscribers only
1.4oo have the old $40 fat rate. In the
cases of hotels, he said, there is a still
smaller minimum rate on a special class
of business. which is but IS.
The telephone company of New York he
sald, pays the best wages surrounds the
operators with the best conditions and
gives the best hours of any telephone COM
pany in the world. In Europe trained OPP
orators get from 50 to Sc a week while in
this country the is from IS n a
week. In other grades this difference holds
good except in the higher grades of work,
In which the difference in favor of New
York is still greater
Service and Rates in Europe.
Mr.. Bethel said rates in this country for
telephones supplied by private companies
can seldom be properly compared with
systems operated by the governments of
Europe. In the latter cases in many in
stances rents are not charged up against
the telephone system, and frequently even
service is not paid for under the head of
the telephone department. In Paris the
wires are put In the sewers without any
charge for that substitute for conduit
Mr.. Bethel had investigated telephone
conditions abroad on the ground. He said
that there are today more telephones in
New York than in the whole of France
Since 1889 the French system of telephones
has been under the government. The Paris
system, he said, is far behind the times.
Inc OlSclpllne IN the telephone service is
deficient. In general the service I'm Paris
is about the same that was abandoned in
New York in the eighties for newer meth
DDS. Lately the fat rate in Paris has been
reduced to $50 per annum, but the SUBJ
scriber has to buy his own telephone and
to pay for the connection between the
trunk lines in the sewers TO his house. The
average of all the rates in New York. in
Guiding limited and unlimited service. he
said, is SS5, and, conditions considered he
thought the New York rate was really
cheaper than that of Paris where the
wages also are lower than in New York.
The charge made against Lawrence
Spann of assaulting Thomas Lilly and
Ellen Manning was today nolle pressed
by Acting Prosecutor Ralph Given in the
Police Court.