The news-democrat. (Providence, R.I.) 1906-1909, 1907-05-28
COUNCILMAN SEARS
IS OUT IN FAVOR Of
PHONE COMPETITION
fcontinued from Page One.)


vice.
The annoyance that you refer 70 suffer-
ed by a subscriber on Smith street In
North Providence being obliged to pay
10 cents to call his home on the same
street but in different exchange. and
excess calls at from three TO seven cents.
was not presented TO the committee at the
public hearings. but is in the nature of
many complaints already before us You
are not badly off. however. as the sub
scribers to the Greenwood Exchange are
who wish to communicate with East
Greenwich. A charge Of FIVE cents is
made for that connection. although the
Greenwood and the East Greenwich EX-
changes are both in the same ROOM not
three feet apart.
PRESENT TIME FOR REFORM.
agree with you that the present IL
the time to bring about reform In tele-
phone exchanges.
To your statement "All OF this you can
see Is very good indeed for the telephone
company but expensive for the subscrib-
er, as well as causing an annoying delay
In passing through exchanges that are in
fact for no other advantage II seems.
than the extra returns that can be wrung
out OF subscribers by the telephone com
pany. The latter will explain that the
suburban exchange iS put in for
the convenience OF handlng calls and so
as to make connections promptly, all OF
which is I'm direct opposition TO the exact
state OF affairs. as the suburban exchange
spoken OF, and through which the writer
has had enough experience to ruin his
temper, Is an abomination above ground.
the service being bad in the extreme" 1
cannot give my entire approval do not
believe the Providence Telephone COM
pany built these different exchanges 10
wiring money from the subscribers. but
because they were the best means
through which 10 transact their business,
taking into consideration the fact that
their system is not OF the newest kind
and has been In operation for many years.
/ take the liberty to enclose for your
consideration "A list of IS streets in Provl-
dence taken at random, rents ranging all
the way from SIS to $50 n month and will
ask you to note the small telephone devel-
opment therein indicated. Also series OF
letters which were presented to the COM
mittee, showing how reputable merchants
and large corporations like your own look
upon competition in telephony, and list
OF rates charged in different cities
throughout the union. and earnestly re-
quest your careful perusal OF the same.
NO ENOUGH PHONES
January !, 1907, there were 12,401 tele-
phones In the Providence district so CALI
ed, which includes all OF the territory
mentioned in the above exchanges except
5000 subscribers. 1t was contended at the
hearings, and not denied. that 25 900 TO 20, 900
telephones was reasonable development
for this district Many people cannot have
telephone on account of the prohibitive
prices, and the advent OF q new system
here would simply create a new list of
subscribers that until now had no exist
ence
If the Home Telephone company had as
many telephones in the field as the
Providence Telephone company what is
To prevent the citizens procuring legisla-
tion requiring both companies TO connect
with each other, as has been done n
other cities?
I am not at liberty To make any state
ment OF the proceedings at the private
meetings or the committee in advance of
the presentation OF their findings 10 the
city council and this prevents me from
offering for your consideration number
OF matters OF interest to you.
| welcome the frank statement of views
set forth in your letter and thank you
for taking the trouble to write me. and
trust you will give my reply that earnest
consideration that | have given your let
ter. Yours respectfully.
WILLIAM r. SEARS.
TO PRINT MINORITY REPORT
At the meeting OF the city council COM
mittee last evening the proofs OF the ma
jority report were read and some of the
items rearranged and touched up. and
IL was ordered that the minority report be
printed
From the tone Of Councilman Sears let
ter given above II might be deduced with
reason that he is in the minority and that
the minority report will contain at least
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