The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-03-29

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seriber to finish
It Is useless and utterly impraetiea
bic 70 attempt 20 charge non-subscrib-
ers a toll where Tie subscriber has
free service. In the first place 70 say
we should charge the non-subsere0er.
presuDposes that the operator Is able
10 instantly recognize by voice that
the party seeking a connection is a
non-subseriber, thing that Is obvious
ly impossible. Even supPosing her so
gifted, her difhculty is not ended.
Some subscribers take advantage OF
the situation and either call and trans
nit the message for the non-subscrib-
er. or having secured the connection.
stand aside and let their non-subscri0-
er friend deliver his message. Op-
orators would have TO be very skillful
detectives. even II they had time,
which they have not. 10 satisfactorily
censor messages We have the right
now 10 charge non-subseribers for the
use of toll lines, and yet with all our
effort to collect rightful tolls, I venture
to say that for one message to Law
renee Co. by non-subscriber for
which we collect a toll, fifty go
through free. The young ladies at
the board simply have not the time to
INQUIRE If this or that party calling
for Lawrenceburg is or is not a sub
scriber. Besides to do so is provok-
ing to the subscriber. In short where
an ATTEMPT IS made to give a free
service to subscribers only, the at
tempt is foredoomed to failure.
This toll feature too, would enable
the Company to satisfy all reasonable
demands for rapid service. When
: business man in Columbia or Mt.
: pleasant wanted an out of town point
or a farmer wanted a piece OF ma
t chinery sent out, the lines connecting
} the sub-exchanges would not be loaded
4 with deadhead talk. Mr.. and MIS-
} Gossip will scarcely be disposed 70
E nav a toll charge. It will tend to linn
e II service to within reasonable limits
! But, says the Citizen, your plan
e will result in making our service
: highly expensive" 81 may want tc
= talk to or through the Main Contra
+ a half dozen times a day" Wen
j suppose you do; every other subscriber
d is similarly situated, sand whatever Il
b earned rebounds to your pront TN
more so from the fact that the non
e subscribers who use your line VIII
y have to pay where you do, and what
= ever is collected from non-suDscrloer
d will 90 toward lessening the cost u
II suhscribers All moneys collected vii
e 90 into a common fund-from tnl
Y. fund stock dividends will be paid, tn
A. EXPENSE OF operation, maintenance
y and extensions will be met and
st after these necessary charges are sa
,r isfied, a surplus accumulates, what
a tbore m hinder us from cutting dow
b. the monthly service rate as low
we please or to putting the 10
,f charges to as low as one cent. 1
at summarize briefly the advantages
III this proposed. plan:
IN 1st. 1t is the only practicable pla
,e for putting a telephone within reac
Nv of all citizens of the County-it is u
H. only practicable plan for enabling u
O. Company to derive some compens
a. tion for service rendered non-subscri
w ers. It in a measure meets the
ne enuities of a fiat" rate, for the reaso
We that under the fiat rate system all pa
at equally whether the subscriber pu
es in one or one hundred calls "a
"a while the same practice would co
NO Time SO far as service over su
an scriber's local exchange was co
oh cerned. it would not apply to the ser
AZ ice between that which is through u
tn Main Central exchanges. For here u
al charge would bear ratio to the ser
,ia ice rendered Lastly, but not q
MS least important gain incident to u
he proposed arrangement would be {
greatly lessened first cost OF conne
g. ing neighborhood with the Ma
= Central. A much lighter pole IL
90 90 would be necessary and instead
~ say fifty wires from say Columbia
nc Santa Fe, four wires would In
AZ Judgment be ample The cost
=. keeping these four wires in work.
- order would not cost the 1-lOO pr
- as much as to keep fifty lines workiI
- The same money would permit t
ton construction to be used, where
If everything was connected with
lumbia and Mt. Pleasant. the n
cost would be almost prohiDitlve, a
10 the high maintenance cost would
' most burdensome. or course, the
tablishment and maintenance OF thu