New-York tribune., 1906-08-11
EITE-CENT CALL SNARE.
PHONE RATE STILL HIGH.
Company Says Public Misunderstood
Plan of Reduction.

A. tNN W
The receipt OF bills from the New York Tele-
phone Company since August has shown that
instead Of reducing the charge TO five cents for
hve-minute call in Manhattan the company
ssili is charging the old rates subscribers for
extra calls. The subscribers thought that their
bills would be reduced for calls over the amount
allowed them. Instead, they are compelled to
pay 10 cents for each of these calls. minus 20
per cent reduction. which is allowed at switch
boards as commission.
The telephone company officials explained the
failure 20 change their rates by saying that the
reduction had been misconstrued by the general
public. They said that the company never ad-
vertised or announced any reduction 10 sub
scribers but only for pay stations. At these pay
stations, il said, the reduction is general.
and FIVE cents is charged.
The claim OF the company that prices have
been reduced is disputed. however. by large
number Of people who have frequent use for the
telephone. One Of the largest real estate COM
panies IN the city. subsidiary company of the
Title Guarantee and Trust Company. has sent a
circular letter TO all of the occupants of the
hundreds of apartment houses il controls, in
forming them the old rate must be charged, as
the company has not reduced its charges. This
notice reads
We viii be unable 10 follow the reduction I'm
rates made by the telephone company. and must
continue 10 charge for messages at the old rate.
because the rates for switchboard service and
attendance are not lessened.
We believe that the rates now made for
private lines that you Will find IL cheaper and
more satisfactory 10 put in your own telephone.
as you Will then have direct connections with the
exchange and all night service.
Another instance OF the failure Of the company
10 reduce rates was given by a prominent saloon
keeper who has pay station. This man found
that in his August bill he had been charged the
1ull rate Of 10 cents less 20 per cent for commits
sion This made his calls practically cents
each and as he had been charging but cents
for calls he found himself out cents on each
call. He has refused TO pay the bill, and will go
70 court, he said, if necessary. 10 fight such pay
ment.
In practically every hotel in New York, stimuli
taneousy with the order Of the telephone COM
pany that the rate cut in half. signs We're
displayed stating that Manhattan calls were still
10 cents. An official Of the company in explain
ing this. said:
OF course there are pay stations in all the
hotels But they nave the privilege of charging
10 cents as they are giving what we consider
extra service. In most hotels there are special
booths switchboard clerk to find numbers il
you desire, ana every convenience For these
extra" the hotels still charge the old rate.
ce-President Bethel of the New York Tele-
phone Company, who has charge of the rare de-
partment, was said TO be out Of the city yester-
day. In his absence his secretary spoke for him.
In explaining the company's position the secre-
IaTy said:
The public has misunderstood our position in
this matter. we have never said that all sub
seribers would hnd their rates cut in half. That
applies solely 10 the pay stations. Wherever
there Is a pay station the proprietor has only TO
ciiaree - cents Subscribers still are paying
Whatever their old rate might be. That might
De 10 cents or even less than cents. II de-
penes on whether we consider that subscriber a
retailer or a wholesaler, far as the number OF
calls used is concerned
II man who subscribes for a telephone de-
sines 10 charge 10 cents there is nothing We can
DO to stop him. He has that right if he wishes
The notice sent out by the realty company
quoted above, was shown TO the secretary
That is probably one case where there has
been some oversight" he Acknowledged ..As
rule however, where there are pay stations the
charge is but eents.'
An instance was given of the proprietor Of
large apartment house in the upper part of the
borough, where there is a pay station Re-
ginning August ! he notified the tenants thar
The charge would be only > cents When he re-
cSNen ms Bill on August he found thai the
oia charge was stiil made against him and he
nau 10 return TO a lO-cent charge for his ten
ahts A pay station is located I'm this bo,,sa
buL the charge Of 10 cents is stu active.
1tdl must De a mistake somewhere III,
tslepIone ofhcial again said. You win find
very few cases like that" N
Where we have installed pay telephones on
commission basis" he continued The rate is
cents We are inspecting and investigating
al the time, and I sure the .5-cent RAJ
Is IN force everywhere. 1t may be that in some
remote cases the iO-cent rate is being charged
because the new rate has Just been installed and
the tangle has not yet been straightene5 oI,t
am quite sure that in short time the 5-cent
rate VIII be universal, except in the hotels where
special accommodations are provided"
Al some places Whert pay stations are in
stalled II is said the propretors get around the D.
generally reads.
This is private phone. The charge is 10
IN such cases the customer has nothing to do
but pay the lO-cent charge or go elsewhere and
hunt for a 5-eent phone
Ohlcials OF the telephone company il is un-
derstood, viii investigate cases where over
charge IS alleged and viii try to see that all
pay stations reduce :he price 10 the ) cents an-
neunced.