The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1908-06-30
COMPANY ARRIVES
AT DECISION
CONTINUED from paxe II.

the operator call the subscriber's partv
TO the telephone with no CHARGE n
subscribers If the party called for does
not answer, or to adhere to the * cent
rate on the two number plan the COM
pany to make direct connections with
out neeessitating the hanging I'D of the
receiver before the party called reaches
the line
Matter For Business Mems Club.
me consideration of the option is
matter for the Hammond Business
Mems club and will in all probability be
taken up there. 1t is immateriaI to the
company which way Hammond decides.
but the company hopes to be understood
that it cannot take the risk Of calling
people to the telephone for Is cents.
this having at least been the company's
understanding when it reached an
agreement with the old board of public
works
w r. Abbott. who has taken a hand
personally in adjusting this matter said
to THE TIMES today
There has been a misunderstanding
somewhere. The Chicago Telephone
company after its agreement with the
board of public works last winter when
1t reduced the toll rate to Chicago to
Is cents understood that the Is cent
rate was made in consideration of the
two number plan. We wanted to give
the people of Hammond better service
and we thought we could do it by
adopting the plan that we have in
augurated in all of our other exchanges
In Evanston for instance where the
npnnlP have TO en-
in ninety cases out Of a hundred the
subscribers find their parties Thus ac-
cording to the new plan they save five
cents on each call, nine times out of
! ten.
ImmateriaI to Company.
1t should be understood from the be-
ginning that it is immateriaI to the
/ Chicago Telephone company which plan
Hammond prefers, one costs Is cents
and the other 90. But 1t would be poor
business for us to allow the old plan at
the new rate, but for the present. since
there is a misunderstanding we are
willing to let the old plan go at the new
rate until we print a new directory and
by that time the people may have de-
cided which plan they prefer. We I'M
derstood our agreement with the board
X
! pie understood it as well. but we do
want to take advantage of it at this
rot time before the thing has been thor
oughly thrashed out by the people OF
Hamond
Il spoke to John Rhode. former presi-
dent of the board of public works" CON
tinued Mr.. Abbott, and called the
agreement, which was an oral one tc
his mind. He said then that the tive
number plan may have been mentioned
but If it had been it had slipped his
mind since then. He may not have
quite understood at the time what
two number call means. and for thai
treason 1t may not have impressed Itself
80 firmly in his mind. Since this ques
ton has come up in Hammond. it ha.
been argued that in order to get on,
party it might be necessary to call az
UNLIMITED number of times and thai
the company could charge an unlimited
number of toll calls.
Unlimited Calls Unnecessary.
That is looking at it in the wrons
, light On the new plan as on the oil,
, there are no charges If the number call
. ed for is not responded to. If however
it is responded TO and the desired part,
; not there it is an easy matter to hav
! instructions to have the party call u
when he returns That surely doe
not sound like an unlimited numbe
Of calls And as sa III before 90 nor con