Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1905-09-21

because his neighbor did. One is driv-
en- to the conclusion that the telephone
business is an absolute monopoly and
cannot be successfully, conveniently
and economially optrated, except as a
monopoly, and should be owned by the
municipality. For, if two telephone
systems in competition are good for the
city, why three or four would be still
better. As said in our former report, a
second telephone system in city is as
useless as a clock with two pendulums.
Our objections to the dual system
may be briefly summarized as follows;
l. The expense that would be sad
died on the busiues community, for
all busines houses would be required
to subscribe to both systems.
2. The Inconvenience Of two tele-
phone books and the confusion of telo-
phone numbers, while this latter could
be to some extent obviated by both
companies using the same numbers,
this could not bo made universal. Many
business houses advertise their tele-
phone numbers, and where there was
difference in numbers, il would lead
TO confusion.
3. The inconvenience of two tele-
phones on the desk in the room, and
, the extreme difficulty Of distinguishing
between the bells of each. In fact,
this annoyance is so great that where
good service is rendered. most sub
scribers would prefer to pay more for
one telephone where was q single com
pany than for two telephones from
different companies.
4. The public streets and sidewalks
are already encumbered by electric
light. telephone street car and telep-
graph poles and wires and a new fran
chise would mean duplication Of
poles and wires without corresponds
ing benefit to the public. These poles
and wires already present serious OBJ
struction to the fire department in
case Of fire.
8. There is a general impression that
if new company were given a fran
chise the old company would be com
PEELED to connect with the lines of the
new company, .and that subscribers Of
the new company would have right
TO communicate with any one on the
old line, but that ia certainly erroneous
as the city could not compel the old
company TO mako connection and tho
experience heretofore has been that
neither company will do so, and the re-
suit is that each subscriber IL limited
to the subscribers Of his own company,
and IL he wants to communicate with
the subscribers Of both, he must sub
scribe TO both telephone systems. An
company win have no long distance
lines, and subscribers TO the new com
other important item is that the new
+ pany must have both telephones or 90
TO the office Of the old company TO tele-
phone at n distance.
6. new system would not materi-
ally, II at all, reduce the price Of tele-
phone rentals. The cheapest rate pro-
posed by the applicat is 80 for pri-
vate residences, while the present rate
is only 81. II is true this is on ten
, party line, and the applicant proposes
to have only single wire, but that
would necessarily mean the numbering
Of the streets with more wires, and
the old company, under its franchise,
would put in more wires TO meet this
service and the streets would be a per-
feet network Of poles and wires, There
seems 10 be an impression that the new
company will only charge so cents per
month for telephone rental, which is
an error, as the lowest proposed rate
by the petitioner is ~ per month.
A careful analysis Of this petition
shows that is has 63s signatures OF
this number no sort Of address is given
10 4l2 Of the signatures, not even Fres-
no city, though many Of them do reside
In the city. Out of the 6s3 names
signed to the petition, $50 do not APP
pear in the last city directory at all.
Possibly some Of these have arrived
since the publication Of the directory
and permanently reside here, but It
cannot bo that there Is such a largo
number So Il would appear that more
than one-third Of the signatures are
those Of people who are either transi-
ents. residents Of the country, or new
arrivals. The local telephone company
now has 27OO telephone subscribers,
and out Of the 6s4 signers TO the petit
tion there are only l5l who now sub
acrihn for ielenhones; I'm other words.