The Newtown bee., 1908-04-10

cuse Tor the company rating us at Hrst as equally distant with Danbury from Bridgeport. But that considering the fact that we adjoin the Bridgeport Di- vision and that nine-tenths of our out of-town' business is with that city; moreover, considering the fact now that we have direct wire to Bridge port, ..and can call that Division as readily as we can call Danbury, there is good reason now why we should be considered within the area of low rates to Bridgeport and be treated according | ly.
 The purpose of the Company in recit- ing the well known history of our Di- vision is apparently to teach US that at one time we had very poor accommoda- tions, and that they have been very kind to us in establishing an exchange here at great labor and trouble to themselves, that we can now telephone all over the State at the same price as other people: :and that we have the re- markable privilege of telephoning to Woodbury for fifteen cents. Moreover we are informed that we are paying low rental for our local service.
 We would say in reply that the Con- pany has been. we'll repaid for all the trouble they have undertaken on our behalf; and that they have fully as much reason to be grateful to us as we to them; and that Newtown, in propor- tion to population, has probably rented more telephones than any other town in the State. .
 That we should be able to telephone about the. State at the same rate as other Divisions ought to make us feel very grateful, as, of course we do not deserve to be treated so well.
 But the Company claims to have beer very generous to us. It has given us fifteen cent rate to Woodbury. Why this generosity? We have never heard that there was a general demand for it; and we do not believe there are dozen persons who would use it once year. Why then this reduction to Woodbury? Was it because there is an independent telephone company in Woodbury, and it was meant to com pete with that?' Woodbury is not our market town, or the city where we do most of our trading. Our young peo- pie. when they leave our farms, do not get positions in Woodbury, and we do not commute with this beautiful coun- try town on the railroad.
 We are also told that we are paying a low rental for our local exchange service. That depends on how one looks at it. The price of a thing is high or low compnred with tie value of what you get for it. As matter of fact we are paying high rental com pared with many other places. For in- stance our rental for party line is SIS year. What do we receive in return? We have the privilege of free connec tion with something less than 200 sub- scribers. For the same price a sub scriber in Rockville Division has free connection with nearly 800 subscribers. That is, the Company gives subscribers in Rockville two and half times as much for their money as it gives us. If Rockville subscribers were charged in the same proportion as we, their rentals would be $45. If we were charged in the same proportion as they are, our rentals would be $7.2O.
 The charge in cities where there is large number of subscribers is. of course, larger. but by no means propor- tionately larger. The rel,t of party line in Bridgeport is $50. For this one gets the privilege of talking with about 1, 800 subscribers. If Bridgeport people paid as much in proportion as we do, their rent would be over S4OO year for party line. If we were treated as we'll proportionately as the subscribers in Bridgeport and other cities, our telephone rent would be just 80 cents a year. In view of these facts we do not feel that we need to be un- duly grateful to the. Telephone Com pany for our low rentals.
 l have trespassed already too much upon your valuable space for this week.
 In my next communication 1 will take up the Company's explanation of its toll rate system.
 James H. George.