The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-01-16

service furnished by the Bell Com
pany was very limited in quantity and
execrable in quality. True. they now
furnish high grade service in large
quantity at low price. Competition
has driven them to do so. No where
has first-class service been furnished
by the Bell Company except under the
compelling power Of Municipal SUPER
vision or the stimulus of competition.
City Councils Investigation.
About year ago the Bell Company
tried to get their phones into the City
Hall. committee was appointed to
examine into and report upon the ques-
ton. The members of that committee
entered upon their work with a feel
ing that the request of the Bell Co.
should be granted. Being thorough
and conscientious public servants,
though, they gave the matter full in
vestigation with the result that they
were unanimous in recommending that
the request be not allowed. A part
of the result of their Investigation on
record al our City Hall tends to estab-
lish the proposition that without COM
petition, good service ut equitable
Rates has not been furnished by the
Bell Telephone Company. No matter
how ardent an admirer you may be Of
the Bell Telephone Co. if you are
either a telephone user or prospec-
tive one or are interested in those
things which promote the highest
good of our city. a commendable self
interest or reasonable civic pride must
suggest your voting for the rate
schedule unless you are financially i'll
terested in the Bell Telephone Co.
c.:z Two Phones at Cost Of One.
s"% There are%to-day substantially 1000
telephones in use in the City Of Du-
luth with an average price of about
$500 per year. The logical inference
is that with the Zenith City Telephone
Co. out of the field, the average price
of these would be, including residence
phones, about s125.0o per year. With
ference of $4,000 per phone. With
the proposed increased rate Of the
Zenith phone to $24.O0 and $4,000, if
you should use both the Bell and
Zenith phones for business they would
amount to s54.oo plus $4,000 or $4,000
per year with Bell residence phone
phone alone with no competition,
logically speaking, would cost you
$4,000 net annual saving of $4,000
and a Bell residence phone in favor
of voting for the increased rate to the
Zenith Telephone CO. in addition to
being able to command a high grade
service as against Il medium or low
grade service.
Result Of independent Companies
Failing.
strictly high grade service is very
expensive both in money and human
energy. The temptation, with no re-
straning Influence, to furnish only
medium or inferior service is practic-
ally irresistible. The Zenith City Tele-
phone CO. could tomorrow by allow
ings it's service to deteriorate some
what and still be 100 per cent better
than the former Bell service, inaugu-
rate system that would decrease it's
annual expense bill 100000.
Where Independent Companies have
failed because of the lack of adequate
support, it has been but a few years
until conditions have become so bad
| that the citizens have been glad to
| pay a new company a much higher
| rate than that which was refused the
| Independent Company. In some in
| stances conditions have become so bad
! that telephone users have organized
| mutual stock companies to get relief.
! In such cases the telephone user has
not only paid a much higher rate thar
| was refused the former Company, but
! has been obliged to furnish the money
to help build the exchange and install
| his telephone.
| The rates voted by our City Council,
| is not only expedient but equitable as
! we'll. The Zenith City Telephone Co.
! came into being in answer to public
! demand. It, has supplied the civic
necessity at the expense of certain
citizens of Duluth who undertook the
! enterprise. With the exception of two
| quarterly dividends of per cent,
! which were declared under a misap-
prehension the stock holders have re-
ceived nothing for the four years use
| of their money. While there was no
written agreement to that effect vet
when the stockholders of the Zenith
| City Telephone Co. invested their mo-
| ney it was mutually understood that
the Zenith City Telephone Company
would have full control of the field.
at least in so far the Bell was con-
cerned. It was fully expected by the
said stockholders that the Bell Co..
would be obliged to vacate and the
city and citizens, barring those direct
ly. interested in the Old Company, fully
| intended that they should be COM
PEELED to do so. There is no DISPOSE
ton to complain because the :Gity:ahas
#been unable to fulfill. It Just as
l5binding on us however as thong 1T
|shad= been ntentiona /: e,5. q trictly
Il home company. az com pei led ia oe-
post ehtiiis
telen