Omaha daily bee., 1905-09-22
TWO TELEPHONES ARE COSTLY
InvestiEatiOn I'm other
Cities

H. j. Gonden, formerly city editor Of The
Bee and now with the Bulletin of the
League of American Municipalities, is in
the city for fortnights visit with his par
ents, Mr.. and Mrs. L. N. Gonden. While
Mr.. Gonden makes his headquarters in Chi
cago. he is almost constantly on the road
collecting information for his publication.
During the past year he has investigated
the telephone situation in more than fifty
cities, and is therefore in position to speak
Interestingly on the subject of the double
telephone proposition which is now attract
ing some attention In Omaha.
Before Omaha admits a second telep-
hone company" says Mr.. Gonden, 1T
would be wise to ascertain the results of
competition in this business in other cities.
I have been reading some Of the state
ments recently published in the Omaha
papers by A. B. Hunt and II It were not
for the obvious fact that they are intended
to mislead the people in matter of great
Importance they would be funny. Mr..
Hunt promises that telephone competition
will bring to Omaha exactly the things
that It has utterly failed to bring to the
cities which have tried 1t. His first and
most alluring promise is a reduction of
rates amounting to from 25 to SSS per
! cent, In the fifty or more cities in which
J
found one in which competition has re-
suited in a reduction of rates. The effect
| of competition on rates s just the oppo-
J site from what Mr.. Hunt says 1t is, for
in the cities where they have two telephone
systems the users get the additional ex-
pense of the second phone, while the COM
petition does not reduce the expense OF the
first 'phon.
Mr. Hunts next important promise is
that competition will improve the service.
This has not been one of the results of
competition In other cities, and can't un-
derstand why 1t should be so here, where
the existing telephone service is absolutely
up to date. II Mr. Hunt should take the
! trouble to get the facts he would find that
competition. instead of improving the SER
vice. merely complicates the service.
Another theory advanced by Hunt Is
that the advent OF an independent exchange
in Omaha will bring better service to and
from the surrounding country. In my
travels l have interviewed hundreds OF
business men on the merits of the Bell
and the Independent services, and the most
severe critics of the Independents are the
jobbers and others who have frequent use
for the toll lines. The wholesale grocerS
of st. Joseph went so far as TO have the
Independent phones removed from theli
| HifANtS VI bhoiAeSsf iol un ACCOUNT OF lut
expense, but simply because the Independ
.ent toll service proved an injury TO theil
business Mr. Let's Of the Letts-Spencei
tobbing house, told me it was imPossibl,
TO take an order over the Independent
toll lines without making mistakes, anC
these errors proved too costly. Omaha
jobbers are not likely to lose any countr!
trade TO st. Joseph, at least by not hav
ing the Independent phone.
The most significant fact In connection
with this matter, however. is that the Bel
companies have succeeded in maintaining
their rates and increasing their busines
in nearly every city where they have en-
countered competition. Mr.. Hunt will mos
likely dispute this fact, but then It is ap
parent that Mr. Hunt is like a great man,
other professional franchise seekers in tina
he doesn't care as much for facts as h
does for personal profit"