Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-06

the same charged in Washington. The
present rate Is 10 cents. 1t was also prom
ised that the rate to Brooklyn would be re-
duced from Is cents TO 10 cents. The
general run of telephone users who de-
pend upon the pay stations, the great army
CT jewellers in apartment houses and
family hotels, looked forward to July's COM
ing with high glee and each time they
handed over a dime for a message they
were buoyed by the thought that mot yet
but soon 1t would be nickel.
With the advent of July the telephone
company inserted large advertisements in
the papers announcing that the promised re-
duction of pay station rates had become
effective. Nice little maps were printed in
the advertisements to show just how far
you could telephone for cents and where
TO pay 10 cents for extra long calls.
The telephone booths were fairly mobbed
on the first day by persons anxious to take
advantage of the new rates to say hello"
to some friend up or down or across town.
After enjoying five minutes of conversation
they cheerfully handed out their cents
to the operator. No pen can picture the
look OF scorn that overspread the features
of the telephone girls when they gazed
upon the 5-cent token.
That don't go here they loudly pro-
claimed, 10 cents is the rate"
But began the astonished telephone
user.
But nothing but 10 cents, that's all for
you
But the reduction"
I'VE know nothing of any reduction
Enlightened In a bewildering sort of way
the public paid its 10 cents and uttered forci-
bly, the one word ''tungi" Seeking again
the advertisement which read so fascinat-
ingly at first glance the public then found
the source of all the trouble. There was a
sentence in the advertised reduction of rates
which said:
Hotels and apartment houses which
maintain expensive equipment for the con
venence of their guests and tenants may
continue to charge the old rate II they
wish"
They all wished" with WILL and with
them wished" all the drugstores. florist
shops, tobacco stands and other places
where the pay station telephones are in
stalled. OF course if the telephone company
had slot machine phones at these places
the matter would be easy of adjustment
But the company uses mighty few such me-
chanical equipments. A slot telephone is
almost as great rarity here dodo
bird.
I'VE know nothing of any reduction of
rates. We have not been advised of any
change This is what you hear whenever
you stop to telephone. Wrangles in public
places have been frequent ever since the So
called reduction went into effect. To avoid
any misunderstanding one of the downtown
hotels, the Astor House, had this notice
printed and placed in a conspicuous position
on the telephone booths:
These telephones are operated by the
management Of the hotel on leases and con-
tracts from the New York Telephone Com
pany which are still in force.
The public pay station rates have been
reduced by the telephone company without
any equivalent reduction in the contract
rates to hotels for messages or the rental of
any part Of the hotel equipment.
While regretting any resulting inconven-
fence to the patrons Of the Astor House the
management feels unable to reduce the
rates for telephone service to it's guests I'M
til its contracts with the telephone COM
pany are revised.
Said the proprietor of another house where
the telephones are in great demand:
81 know that the present situation is very
annoying to the public. but we, like most of
the other subscribers who allow the public
to use the phones. have made contract
with the telephone company for so many
messages year at a certain rate. The COM
pany has not reduced this contract rate,
and we find that only by charging ten
cents can we have even a small balance on
the right side of the ledger. We would be
out of pocket If we charged the five cents
the company is so freely advertising"
The use of telephones in New York Is
enormous. 1t is said there are now nearly
325 600 phones In service in this vicinity.
There is no competition. A new company
applied for franchise some months ago
and guaran' eed to give rate to local SUBJ
scribers of two cents message. There were
technicalities in the way. however. and the
courts decided against the granting OF
franchise.