The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1905-08-11
HI.

~LASGOWS experience WITH TEL
ephones should be Of interest
~ to those citizens Of this country
who are complaining Of extor-
tionate rates for inferior service. AS
usual, the Scotch metropolis al the
first city in the kingdom to challenge
the supremacy of the telephone trust,
which in Great Britain goes by the
name of the National Telephone COM
pany.
The fight for a municipal franchise
was q complicated and interesting one.
In 1911 the imperial government
through its postofice department pro-
poses to take over the control OF the
telephone system of the United King
dom. At that time the National Tele-
phone company will be compelled to
surrender its property at its actual mar
ket value without a penny additional
for good will or franchises. The mu-
inequalities expect to arrive at some
agreement with the general government
by which they will be left in partial
control Of their plants and to share in
its profits. Be this as it may, the last
privately owned telephone will disap-
pear In about six years from this date.
1t is more than ten years ago since
Glasgow proclaimed revolt against the
high charges and bad service of the
private telephone company. A commit
tee Of the city council reported in ia
vor Of establishing a municipal plant,
and, without going into details, 1t may
be stated that on March l, 1900, Glas-
gov obtained the first license ever
granted to a city for the purpose of
constructing and operating a telephone
system.
The work of construction was begun
In July, 1900, and up to the present
time Glasgow has expended $1,350,OO0
on its telephone plant. While the city
contains only twenty square miles Of
territory, the telephone wires reach out
over nearly ten times that large q dis
trict.
Under the old telephone company no
effort was made to reach the suburban
area. The private company catered
only to the %congested district and i'm
agined that it would lose money II it
improved the service, extended the
scope or lowered the rates. Under it's
management the average annual cost
of a telephone was $50 or more. It
took from one to ten minutes to make
a connection.
The Glasgow telephone service Is the
best l have ever inspected. l was in
formed that statistics showed that the
average time required to make a con-
nection was less than fifteen seconds. I
made q test on my own account and
called up ten subscribers. OF the nine
who responded the average time from
unlocking the receiver to answers from
those addressed was fourteen seconds.
1t should be explained that the tele-
phone booth is practically unknown in
the office Of a Glasgow business man.
The instrument is on the edge Of his
desk. and the receiver and transmitter
are in one piece.
The~rate to q subscriber for a serv-
ice with an unlimited number Of calls
over the entire system is $3.50 a year.
There Is no installation charge and no
dues of any kind other than the annual
payment of this amount. A toll serv-
ice is rendered for SIT a year, with an
additional charge Of q penny for each
outward message, with unlimited in.
ward calls free. On a party line with
more than four subscribers the rate Is
$6 per annum, with an unlimited mum.
Der of calls.
There are 1000 subscribers to the
municipal telephone system of Glas.
cow. The private company predicted
that the insanity Of the management
In reducing rates and giving decent
service would result in financial ruin,
but the investment showed a profit OF
100000 a year.
The cleansing department of Glasgow
is an interesting institution. It owns
thousands of acres of farm lands where
once were nothing but boys and marsh.
es. To these farms are conveyed the
refuse products of the streets. On them
are stone quarries and brickyards own
ed and operated by the city. There arr
also great factories. Connecting the
factories and the farms Is a system OF
steam railway, the city owning more
than 700 railway carr and a large mum.
Der of locomotives.
In 1892 Glasgow purchased the small
private electrical plant for about SIS,
600. From this modest beginning II
has developed a comprehensive system
modern in every particular. 1t now rep
resents an investment exceeding S.,
100000, and the profits last yea
amounted to $4,000. This does no
include $4,000 paid for taxes. AS hal
been stated before, all public enterprises
In Great Britain pay taxes and are thus
on the same footing for purposes o.
comparison as private Industries. Ever
q fire department pays taxes on ever.
iny1na NJ S%c n ccok~ A So.