Omaha daily bee., 1908-02-14
OLD COMPANY HELPS new
Nebraska Telephone Gives Fire Alarm
Service to Independent.
PROMPT TO GRANT CONCESSION
General Manager Belt Says His
Company Gave These Privileges
in the Interest of Public
welfare,

The Nebraska Telephone company has
granted to its new competitor, the lnde-
pendent Telephone company, the right of
connecting up with the fire alarm system
maintained by the Nebraska company,
enabling the patrons of the new concern
to have the advantage of this alarm SER
vice, so essential to the safety of property
and life.
This concession on the part of the Ne
braska Telephone company, involves the
installation by the Independents of its
instruments and a combination switch
board on the desks OF the chief and fire
operators in the offices of the Nebraska
company and the same service to the new
company as to the old. The new company
is permitted to maintain Its own operators
in the offices of the Nebraska company.
AS to the method of making the connection
that is a detail to be worked out by the
electrical engineers of the two companies,
A. S. Rogers of the Nebraska and f. G..
Humme of the Independent. Thee wires
will come in over each desk and acheck
will be kept by one operotor on the other
so as to furnish an absolute guarantee
against error.
The Independent company applied to the
Board of Fire and Police Commissioners,
january 10 luI lllis ptiAilioSlohs ~ oNiuNh
some members of the board as a rather un-
usual request to make, since the city had
let the contract for the fire alarm system
to the Nebraska company and that contract
did not expire until June, 1909. The position
taken was that the new company, while
1t should of course, have this service had
no right to demand 1t through its business
competitor and upon this basis the board
submitted the proposition to the Nebraska
Telephone company, saying it had granted
the request of the Independent company,
Subject to the approval of the Nebraska
Telephone company"
Decide to Make Concession.
The officials of the Nebraska company
took the matter under advisement and Gen
eral Manager Belt finally communicated
to the city authorities the intention to
grant the new concern these privileges
City Electrician Michaelson, then late yes
terday took up finally with Mr.. Belt the
matter of making the installation. Mr.
Michaelson and Fire Chief Salter, as well
as the members of the fire and police
board feel grateful to the Nebraska COM
pany for the readiness with which It made
thos concession to its competitor, obviating
the task of working out an otherwise diff
cult problem.
1--WE took this view of the situation"
said General Manager Belt of the Nebraska
Telephone company, ''whinle we had con-
tract with the city for supplying this GER
vice and could, If we so desired stand on
our lawful rights and withhold the service
,frtan eur competitors and their patrons
we would rather not take advantage OF
these rights for the simple reason that by
so doing we might be imposing a hardship
on the public or some Individual property
owner. We felt that there were larger
interests to be served and safeguarded than
those of any corporation and we did not
wish to appear, or be selfish even though
acting entirely within our legal rights.
We have always operated on the principal
that a public corporation Is a public SER
want and that the best service to the great
est number of people was a MOTTO that
ought to commend us to the people at
large"