Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-01-22
SENATOR OSBORNE
TO ASK SPECIAL
PHONE CO. PROBE
Plans Introduction in Senate OF
Resolution Asking for lnves-
tigating Committee.
DECLARES INDEPENDENT
FIRM" is ONLY A BLIND
Personally PrObed Matter Be-
fore Election and Discovered
Existence of Combine.

State Senator Harry V. Osborne will
probably introduce q resolution in the
Senate next Monday night asking that
the Legislature appoint committee
to investigate the telephone situation
in New Jersey in general and In the
city of Newark in particular. The pur-
pose OF the investigating committee
will be primarily to show that the New
York Telephone Company actually
owns the so-called Independent COM
pany. the Newark Telephone Company.
and that that fact is one of the chief
reasons for the impositions by the
telehone monopoly in the matter of
excessive rates and other abuses which
| are. being ported out day by day in
The EVENING STAR.
II have read the comparison Of
rates charged in Newark as against
those of ther cities in the STAR" de.
clared Senator Osborne today to a
STAR reporter, land | want to say
that J consider it an outrage / have
given the telephone affairs in Newark
considerable study and I know that
the conditions ere even more fragrant
than the STAR has put them. The
telephone trust is imposing upon the
business men of Newark. and 1t IS
high time that the proper authorities
should now step in and rectify wrongs
and plan a program for future regu-
lation. The greatest obstacle is that
the Republican party which now con-
trolls the majority at Trenton Is play
ing with the trusts. and unless the
public is more thoroughly aroused in
connection with the telephone I'm
positions they will smother any at
terlpt that might be made in the
Legislature to correct the abuses.
bills Contain Remedy.
"There have been three < utili-
ties bills offered already, and fourth
is coming on Monday night. l believe
that any Of them will provide the
remedy as regards the telephone mat
ter. There will surely be wrangle
over these public utilities bills, and II
il develops that no agreement can pc
reached whereby the rate-fixing'
proposition can become a law / am
earnestly in favor of the passage of a
special act to cover the telephone COM
pany alone. The telephone is one or
our greatest utilities, and there is no
reason why the trust should extort
such excessive rates in Newark and
give rates less than one-half to sub
scribers in Buffalo, Rochester, Gin
cinnati, Detroit and other places.
why, personal investigation of the
telephone situation may be of extreme
interest to the public at this time. IL
was Just before the last election, when
/ was elected to the Senate, that Will
lam l.. Rockwell, stockholder in the
Newark Telephone Company, came to
nv office and wanted to throw the
concern into the hands of receiver.
Revelations that startled me followed.
With my client l attended meeting
of the board of directors of the So
called Independent company, and to
nv surprise / found that the concern
was not only in reality owned by the
New York Telephone Company, but
that there were directors of the New
ark company who were in the employ
OF the larger company. And, mind you,
they wanted it understood that tele-
phone competition existed in Newark.
one of these directors who was on the
payroll of the big company / was
personally acquainted with.
Tried ia Hide situation.
ut was amusing to see the way those
interested tried to conceal their rela-
tionship with the two companies. The
New York company merely kept the
breath in the Newark company to make
a bluff at competition. l satisfied
myself that the Newark company was
not only owned, body and soul, by the
New York company, but that it was
also insoivent.
II was preparing to show up the
whole inside workings Of the company
when my political campaign was about
to open, and I was obliged 10 withdraw
from the case. / did not want the
pubic to believe that / was fighting
che telephone company to further my
political inte~ests and accordingly re-
tired.
i"Following the taking over of the
Newark Company it was an easy mat
ter for the New York company to start
it's impositions. The unlimited Service
was cut off and the excessive rates
that now prevail were put into effect.
The telephone abuses will continue un-
,ess the State interferes The Legis-
lature should lose no opportunity to
enact q law to cover the matter, and
will do all in my power to further
it's passage. The Republican party $
policy of smothering any bill that af-
fects It's friend. the trusts, will re-
ceiee a death blow If tried when this
telephone matter Is aired"
Business Men to Fight.
Business men in Newark are discus
sing the excessive telephone rates with
view to adopting some plan of at
tack upon the company. Indignation
meetings will probably be called by the
merchants, and and it is not unlikely
that the Board of Trade will delye into
the subject at it's next meeting! Peti-
tions demanding legislative interven-
4 tion are being quietly circulated. and
I within few days the STAR will be In
\ position to lay bare many additional
startling disclosures.
The telephone trust has absorbed the
Western. Union Telegraph Company,
and with the Morgan interests be-
hind 1t. is now trying to get control
OF the Postal Telegraph Company, too
IT is argued that with the merging OF
CONTINUED on second PaEe.)