The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-26
TELEPHONE COMPETITION

The Journal-Courier has already of the proposed undertaking to estab lish a competitive telephone system throughout the State of Connecticut It is an interesting story and will con tinue to grow in interest until the Su. perior court has been reached, where a hearing will be held upon the ques- ton of public convenience and neces- sity Between now and then the incor- porators of the new company propose to canvass the field with the object of securing the necessary proof that the public desires an additional telephone service.
 Until the last session of the present independent company has been to ap- peal to that body for a charter en- abling it to do business as freely and openly as the Southern New England company does, It has had the advan- tage of being supported by citizens of the State who would naturally approve of telephone service which promised to give them a required service for less money, by many of the business men of the State who have felt that the original company charged them excess sive rates, and by that always not small class which is opposed to monopoly in any and all of its forms. This gave the petitioner a strong position before the legislature, and of itself is thought to have brought about reduction in tel ephone rates, especially in the interior towns of the State, and in other ways to have improved the service IL was not sufficient, however, to convince the general assembly that competing telephone systems would be good thing for the general public. It was sufficient to lead the present legisla- ture to enact a general law under which company may enter the field provided it can show to the satisfac- ton of the higher court that the con- venience and necessity of the people require it. This was a compromise which received the approval of the contestants and gave an impetus to may lead to it's extension in other fields of investment
 We have spoken of the pending hearing before the Superior court as
 interesting That appears to be the proper qualification It is now the poli- cy of the State of Connecticut to &C., cept the principle of natural monopoly in the case of public service corpora tions provided the corporations which enjoy that privilege play fair with the public In the case of the other public service corporations relief must he sought in a special parallelling charter but. as we have said, in the case of the telephone business the power is taken from the special legislative method and given to the court The task which the proposed new company has set itself is this It must prove that the demand for an additional com pany Is real and substantial and not based upon petitions which are signed upor the strength of promises to be redeemed at some future time. Peti- ti)ns are useful instruments with whion tn impress departments possess ing powers of concession or appoint ment but they are frequently open to suspicion s, to their actual integrity. It is an old saving that petition would not lack signatures which get forth the wisdom oI hanging a eoeci- fled party The burden If proni is upon the applicant, an1 Tn addition to show ing that many people testify to their belief in competing company he must also show that .'le service now being given by the original company is in- adequate. uncectai' and excessive in cost As the Hartford Times puts it: Demonstration that the present sys- tenn is seriously defective and that the public advantages tn be derived from the establishment of con petition arc great enough and numerous enough to counterbalance the inconvenience, the burden and the responsiveness ot dual system must he clear cut and com plete
 We shall watch the progress of this movement with the liveliest interest
 II ought to and probably will exert 2 powerful influence on the movement to