Connecticut western news., 1902-04-10
Some Obstacles to Phone Competition.

pany is striving to displace the old Pa clfic States Telephone Company. While the citizens and business people gen. orally are delighted with the idea of competition, and would willingly do anything to "down the monopoly, "they are fearful to degree of encouraging a new company, as it might necessitate them subscribing to two companies in order to have all their friends and cus- toners on their line.
 When Abram Goldenstein, who runs a grocery store in Los Angeles, was ap- preached by solicitor for the new company and asked to sign a contract to have new telephone put in, he said
 "vhy I shoult do ut yes? Why l shoult git me annuder telephones?"
 The solicitor told him that the new company was prepared to supply ser vice much cheaper than the rates now charged for telephones.
 "I shoult do ut to safe money maybe yes?" said Goldenstein with dangerous sweetness.
 The solicitor told him that he had just hit the idea exactly.
 Whereupon Goldenstein gnashed his teeth. "Yes, safe me moneys. Yes, that is pretty goot way for to safe me moneys. If I haf von telephone vich costs too much money, den should git two telephones and make sheepness. yes?"
 The solicitor ventured to suggest that he needn't have but one telephone-that of course, the new one.
 'Yes. dat is pretty goot smartness. " said Goldenstein witheringly. You are preety smart young man. yes? l shoult haf von telephone. yes? Den Jacobson or some odder grocer haf two telephones unt shoult as besser haf no telephone at all. Yes? Maybe ut iss some feller want some groceries mt he haf in his house der olt telephone unt he cand cont down to der store cause he is sick. Den vat you spose he do, yes? He telephones to Jacobson, who has two telephones, unt if Jacobson vonce gifts him init his grip in, I don see um no more. Dat iss de ent of my customer, because Jacobson haf a coople of telephones unt don't. Dot is der sheepness, yes
 "I tell vat you do," added Golden stein, You put de people vat don pay der pills on der new telephone altoged- der, unt I pay you for telephone, but don haf one in dar shop. No, you bettcha nit"
 The solicitor suggested that it would be fine idea even to have both tele. phones, for there would not be so much chance then of the line being busy. He said telephone rates would be so much lower that two telephones could be put in for what one costs now.
 'tDat voult pc gread, yes. ," said Gold enstein, contemptuously. "Yes, dat would be pretty goot. Maybe am ir my store, and I hear der telephone bel ring himself, unt den shoomp preety qvick, unt say Hello. hello, hellol unt der aind no answer. Unt I ring cop der chief sassy girl, and she say shs don know nottings aboud it. unt sht didn't ring der pell. Den I know va iss der trouble init. I been hearing init der wrong telephone. I choomI preety quick to der edder telephone den, bud der telephone is stopped, un it is all rung oud and de people is ma unt maype gone to Jacobson to drade Yes; unt maype l got me customer No 222, one of dem clups where dey pla, penuchle unt drink peer, unt I haf go me to telephone to dem. Unt on de odder telephone I haf got me odder GUS toner vich is de president of dc tenn perunce society, un har noomper i main 222 on der odder telephone. Hov you tink he woult sound if I get m twisted some dey and ring cop d wrong 222 unt tell de temperunc vomans dat I can't sent oop der bottl beer til de poy geds pack?
 1 "Hoy you tink dat vas, yes? I tin dey poth get mad preety qvick unt g to Jacobsons to drade."
 l ''Maype I like to drop nickIe in de slot unt find it oud dat haf de wron telephone got, yes?"
 "Vhen you de new telephones goi you will nod ask like dis: Is dis mai 222? but you will haf to say is de Sur set telephone, dis?
 'Msype come into my store som day unt I flint note from de poy to sa dat was to call cop No. 223, unt man wish to say something's to me abou pill. Unt maype is iss dat on von o
 der 223s I haf me man vich is owin me pig pill, mt on de odder 223 : der wholesale house vich I am owing
 pig pill. Unt if it der wrong 223 F don't vawnt to ring um cop, yes? "How shoult know which it is, yef
 "Maype like to know if Chones h,
 a telephone. Unt ven der new tel phone coomes in haf me got to loo through two books to find out,
 "Unt, say, where got me to put un
 yes? Maype rent me 8 store for ;; take cop all de room init telephor poxes, yes?
 "Unt dat makes der city look prett l nice, yes? When der new telephon r ged der streets all cobwebbed oop.
 "I don't want me no new telephon, a not if you giffsr me ut as sheeper 1 holdings. I tink it iss preety zoe l vhon va 1ouf hat oDauoh nv him aoIf o