Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-10-22

/ now in use on the curve from wafer
| street into Bridge street.
The same railroad company was Or
der. I'd to change the grade Of its tracks
| in that part of State street known as
the Hallowell road from the Hallowell
| line extending north to point about
| 100 feet north of the north line OF
| Grand street, so that the tops of it's
| rails shall be on a level with the grade
of the center Of the macadamized
| roadway.
The Postal Telegraph & Gable Co.
| was ordered to place its poles on the
| west eide Of Bangor street from Pet
| tengilrs Corner to the VassalborO line
III line with and adjacent to the loca-
| ton Of the poles of the New England
| Telephone & Telegraph Co.
In convention George F. Fletcher.
Lawrence Colgan and Marshall Pom
| erleau We're elected truant officers.
The special committee appointed in
accordance with an order passed Aug.
49, 1907, with view to securing better
telephone service reported as follows,
and the report was accepted:
City of Augusta. In Board oc Alder
men. October 81, 1907.
Your committee to which was referred
the order directing an investigation in
regard to telephone rates and service
in the City of Augusta end of the adj
stability Of inviting a competing COM
pany to enter Augusta, begs leave to re-
port rs follows:
SERVICE.
The telephone service in Augusta is
VIGOROUSLY poor and generally unsatis-
factory. Your committee is forced 10
this conclusion by the results Gf its Of
fetal investiga tiOns. numerous CON-
plants from the citizens and from the
personal experience of its members. We
believe that the had service is due in
large measure to the over-crowding
Of the lines; that is to say too many
telephones on n line. although undoubt-
eddy there are other causes tending tn
result in unsatisfactory service. Tile
value of the telephone depends upon
the certainty Of prompt service. In the
hope of obtaining this many patrons in
Augusta. are urged to and 90 pay
Sd. 90 a year for an exclusive wire
otherwise known as a one party line
But sucn patron soon finds out that
this is delusion and snare when he
tries to talk with customer, Client or
friends who may happen to be on
$27. 90 or $500 service with from five
to fifteen telephones on the same line,
the chances being that when he tries
to call up the other party his only
satisfaction will be the operators state
ment cline busy" 1t is perhaps the
rule rather than the exception that ior
a patron on Water street wishing to
communicate with another Water
street patron it will be saving of time
to go to the latter's place of business
rather than to try to converse by tel
ephone Your committee is satisfied
that we can never have proper or reas-
enable telephone service until the num-
her of telephones on the $500 and
$500 lines is largely reduced.
If some proper regulations were es-
tablished and enforced limiting to a
reasonable period the time which any
one person may monopolize line when
others are waiting for it's use. this
would considerably relieve the sitnh-
ton. Many of the lines. especially
those connected with the residential
service are noisy. rendering it difficult
to hear distinctly.
RATES.
Your committee believes that all the
telephone rates in the city are too hlgh'
and especially so in view of the poor SER
vice and congestion of the lines.
While we believe that the telephone
rates in most of the cities of this state
are higher than is justified by the ser
vice rendered. comparison between the
rates in Augusta and those in Portland.
Auburn and Lewiston where there Is
competition of another company shows
conclusively that we are paying more in
proportion to the service and facilities
than is charged in these last named
cities. We herewith submit schedules OF
rates received from the city clerks OF
IWaterville, Portland and Auburn.
We believe that where person has a
| telephone ut his place of business at the
rate of s27 90 and also telephone at his
residence the rate for the latter should
not exceed $500 instead Of the present
rate of $500.
An obvious inequality and unjust dis
elimination exists in the service and ia
| cilities given in Augusta. Hallowell. and
Gardiner for the $500 residential rate,
| in the the patron in Augusta paving this
| rate is limited strictly to the Augusta
city setvice. and has to pay an extra
| toll every time he talks with Halloweli
or Gardiner, while the same rate in Hal
lowell or Gardiner entities the subscrib-
ers to the entire Augusta. Hallowell and
Gardiner service without paying toll.
QUESTION OF COMPETITION
The Northeastern telephone company
which Is the competing company in Port
land, Auburn and Lewiston, because of
financial difficulties is just at present in
| the hands of a receiver and therefore
it was useless for your committee to at
tempt to open negotiations with this COM
pary with the view to entering Augusta,
although this company already has a
charter and right to extend it's lines
and do business in this city. The mat
ter of competition in Augusta is there
fore held in abeyance for the present.
In criticising the telephone service we
do not wish to be understood as reflect
ing upon the agreeable and accommodate
ing local manager whom we believe is