Arizona republican., 1909-03-07
DOUBLE TELEPHONE
 SERVICE DISCUSSED
Manager BuehIer of the Phoenix Sys- tenn Draws Comparisons With Los Angeles.

Replying to criticisms of the Consol- dated Telephone company's service in Phoenix, MT Buehler, the local mana ger of the company, yesterday drew some comparisons with the conditions | in Los Angeles, both now and ten years go, which he said he thought would be Illuminating. He said:
 "One of the chief reasons for the congested conditions is that Phoenix has grown more in the last year than was ever expected by the most con- servative people interested in the tele- phone. This town is on a par with Los Angeles ten years ago, of which time I can speak authoritatively. as I was then employed as chief store keeper of the telephone company Of southern California, and know whereof I speak Moreover, I was later in the employ of the Home company. or op- position line, flor a time, and have a good general knowledge of the prob lens that confronted both companies.
 ''The most competent telephone en- gineers there at that time had figured out the telephone growth of Los An geles on a ten-year basis, and all i'm provements were made conforming with the recommendations of the en- gineers. They had all of the data of how the business had grown in the preceding ten years, and all improve ments were put in on this basis, plus 25 per cent. Now, what happened in Los Angeles? Inside of two years the entise estimated equipment for ten years had been eaten up by the most phenomenal growth ever experienced in any telephone field in the United States People were kicking. hollering and doing everything they could to get their telephones installed, and it was up to the company there to supply them This they did by loading up their party lines, resulting in a tele- phone congestion. The town of PhOe- nix has entered into the same kind of an era We Los Angeles) had an ac- tual net gain daily of fifty new tele- phones, and we looked for a stop at any time. Did it stop? Well. not much. The next year the growth was seventy-five instruments day, re- sulting in rush of business. nasty in- stallations, confusion of switchboards and all the little detail troubles that only the telephone man can appre- ciate.
 "The final result was that some of the citizens. wearied of the poor serv- Ice and thinking to better the condi- tions. organized . second company. The Sunset proceeded to make all the necessary improvements as fast as possible, gave better service and even tually caught up with their business. Had the citizens of Los Angeles waited they could have had better servicS without saddling another company and double expense on themselves.
 "The telephone history of Los An geies is being repeated right here in Phoenix at the present time. Improve ments which the Consolidated com pany made less than year ago. such as new cables, etc, figuring that they would be adequate for at least five years to come, were used up before the year was finished
 Mir. Buehler stated that heNas not making any apologies for the telephone system in Phoenix. and only gave the above facts reluctantly. In speaking of the dual telephone systems, he of
 
 Los Angeles Times of March as Illustrating the sentiment there:
 If City Auditor Mushet could have his own way there would be but one telephone service in Los Angeles; and if he couldn't have his way he would do the next best thing-put the rates for ecah kind of service on a parity between companies.
 This was the gist of his recommen- dation to the council yesterday morn- ing. when the consideration of the an nual statements of the Pacific and the Home telephone companies was taken up.
 The statements have been in the hands of the auditor and finance com mittee for a month. The auditor re- ported discrepancies. as he deemed them, in the statements of both com panies and which he asked that the companies explain. Then diverting to the subject of double service and par ity of rates he said:
 q think it Is to be regretted that the Los Angeles public has to main tain two separate and distinct tele- phone systems, each having a parallel equipment in all its details. Unless one has both telephones. and therefore pays double for the service, one is greatly inconvenienced by the fact that a great many telephone users cannot be communicated with at all. We are ] practically paying either double for the full service or only receiving half serv- ice. The public could far better afford to pay higher rates to one company than the present rates to both com panies.
 T would like to draw your attention to the fact that with the dual system of telephone service in Los Angeles. business houses are forced to support both of the companies, and, whilegthe rates in either company are not -exces- sive, yet the fact that there are two companies to support, duplicate plants on which to pay interest, double charges for management, and fixed charges to provide for, causes the business men of the city to pay nearly | twice as much for telephone service as would be the case if there were but | one company. if the rates were fixed | for that company to yield no more | lNrNw