The Newtown bee., 1908-04-10
THE TELEPHONE SITUATION IN
 NEWT0WN.
As Presented by Rev J. H. George.

ellOrts oi the committee or the, Men Club to secure from the Southern New England Telephone Company a re-rat- ing of the Newtown Division by which we might be able to talk at a smaller charge with Bridgeport Division, with which nine-tenths of our out of town business is conducted. In that commu- nication gave the petition which the Committee drew up and which was signed by nearly every subscriber in the Division. This petition it will be remembered, was presented to the Company by F. J. Naramore, and it was re-enforced by the action of a Committe of the Business Mems Asso- cition of Bridgeport. give you to- day the reply of the Telephone Con- pany, and shall examine the reply in the light of what the Company has to say in its official list and its annual re- port of its own business.
 (The Telephone Company's Reply to
 the Petition j
 EXECUTIVE OFFICE
 THE SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND
 TELEPHONE COMPANY.
 Licenses
 Of the American Bell Telephone Con-
 pany, for the State of Conn.
 New Haven, Conn.,, January "A, 1908.
 Rev James H. George and other pe- titioners, Newtown, Conn. Gentle men: We have carefully considered your request. for a reduced toll rate be tween Newtown and Bridgeport, and, to make sure that you thoroughly ap- preciate the re asons for the existing toll charge. we would like to say a word about the Newtown Exchange.
 Before the present exchange was es- tablished, there were but very few sub- scribers in Newtown, and they were connected by party lines. carrying a dozen or more stations, with the Dan bury Exchange. Their toll line rates were the same as those which other Danbury subscribers had to pay, with this. exception, viz, that subscribers in NewtoWn paid five cents call, to talk with Danbury subscribers.
 This service was equally unsatisfac- tory to the Newtown subscribers and to the Company, yet it was the best that could be furnished without an exchange at Newtown and the Con- pany could not establish an exchange there because there were not enough subscribers to support one.
 Finally, however, at the earnest so- licitation of its customers, the Con- pany undertook to secure a suffi cient number of subscribers in Newtown to warrant an exchange. After an ener- getic canvass, 91 subscribers were ob- tained, and the exchange was opened, on August 1. 1904. The same charge was made for Toll Line and Long Dis tance conversations as was made be- fore the separation from Danbury. The charge to the Woodbury Exchange was, subsequently,, reduced from 25 cents to l5 cents, making it 10 cents less than the Danbury -Woodbury charge.
 Therefore, Newtown, to-day, with nearly 200 subscribers, in addition to paying a low rental for exchange ser vice, enjoys, in one instance, even low CT toll rates than before its separation from Danbury, and avoids all the in- conveniences of the former unsatis- factory conditions.
 Our toll rates are interdependent, and they are based upon a maximum charge of 25 cents. We connect two subscribers separated by the width of the state for 25 cents, whereas, were we on mileage basis, the maximum charge would be more than $1.00. In order that the maximum charge may be 25 cents, it becomes necessary to arrange our schedules so that, without working a hardship in any particular instance, our average toll charge will be reasonable under all the conditions existing in the state of Connecticut.
 It is plain, therefore. that this ra- quires a well-balanced schedule of rates and that to increase or reduce rate in one place, necessitates corre- spending change in another place, to preserve the balance.
 This is easily comprenended and ap- plies to the concrete case of the charge between Newtown and Bridgeport. It might be changed but any change would require another change to offset it, and so on through the whole sched- ule. This would, naturally lead to complete readjustment of our rates, and would, probably, result in the adoption of a mileage.basls. A mileage basis would leave Newtown-Bridgeport rate substantially the same as at pres ent, and increase the rate to almost all of the other exchanges.
 It is clear. therefore, that Newtown would gain no lower rate to Bridge port, and would have to pay more to talk with other exchanges. if the sched- ule was based on a mileage charge.
 In view of these facts. we feel that you will agree with us that change in the schedule of toll charges between Newtown and Bridgeport alone. is im- practicable. and ought not to be under taken, unless we are prepared to adopt a new basis for the whole territory, which we do not believe to be advisable at this time.
 Yours truly,
 (signed)C. B. Doolittle,
 Superintendent Traffic.
 Let us now consider the reasons the Telephone Company gives for expect ing us to be satisfied with the present rate.
 First they recite the history of the