Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-12-27
HELLO" AND BUSY"
Why We Like and why We Dislike
the Telephone.
(FrOm the Hartford Courant)

Prom the Hartford Courant.)
There Is scarcely any other element Of
our 10th century convenience that is tho
subject OF more discussion than the tee-
phone. Everybody assents to the propo-
sltlon That 1t Is an almost indispensabl Bile
feature or modern life, but It is found
fault with at least as often as it is
praised. 1t is so convenient that when
ever Its convenience is interfered with
we feel worse than before we knew tn d,
convenience could be had. To be called 8
an asgravatlon. There's the telephone
again." is the complaint, Calling and
getting in response. Busy" Is, perhaps,
still more aggravating. There's ALWAYS
something to grumblc about, and yet
you would not go without It even IL it
cost more than II does
People who have lived where there
were two systems of competing telephones
will tell you that that is the only way 10
get cheap rates and civil, prompt, and
satisfactory service; and other people
who have lived in other places where
there were rival companies will tell YOU
that IT is an unmitiyatcd nuisance, that
there is no saving and that the annoyance
of looking to SEQ which system your man
Is on and all the other complications of
the twin arrangement make life a bur-
den.
So you can take your choice. It would
be interesting to know what the facts are.
| The wholc telephone business Is con-
Quoted on a wrong principle. According
| to our notion, all telephonlng should be
on the toll system. The free-for-all CAB
BILE that uses UP so much OF the time Of
the telephone should be cut on short If
telephones were only used when some
| thing was needed, there would not be one
| busy where now It comes In 20 times
Moreover now line used once a day
pays as much az ono used every quarter
! hour If there was nominal charge foi
installing a telephone ard then direct
charge for each time it was used, tne
| business would ne or a business basis.
| People would pay for just what they got.
But there IL a general agreement that
that cannot be done, which Is another
way of saying that We have not come t.
Il as yet. 1t Will come some day, forced
by overworking the wires. The first 81
| fort OF the telephone people was to pop
uarize their new and Incredible discov-
cry, and so they made it's use as frequent
as possible. To change now might be los
ing friends although we doubt that But
| 1t may be set down as settled that they
are not going to adopt that method; 50 i,
Is out.
/ II would be OF interest to multitude
OF people to have an intelligent and i'm
partial report on the whole telephone
! question--tO know how our service COM
pares with that IN several other States
| whether for equal service We pay as much
as or more than TIE people In other States
how the red tape Of other States com.
pares With the artlcle.-ssSe are trpped III
with here. whether competition or monop.
oily IL better for the public in telephone
matters. and|so on, a full. fair. inquiry
| The Business Mems association OF the
State, as we understand it, are to study
the telephone question: and we trust tn Al
they will do this volunteer piece oil work
for the benefit OF tho whole State, in 4
| thorough manner. They should not ac.
cert the installed J'company's decla ratior
that no opposition company can do a per
manent business here until they have
seen the proof. and they should not be-
lieve that an opposition company can dc
business that way until the argument:
against it have been disprove6. They
ments. II either refused TO NEE; the ,r
quest. that should be taken as evlden,t
that something was being hid. A full
study OF the situation. such as might be
made, would be very timely. but it SHOULD
be full and cover each side by direct IN
vestigation.