Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-01-21
UTILITIES BILL
. IS ONLY HOPE TO
CURB PHONE CO.
Unless State Assumes Control
Octopus May Fix Rates TO
Suit Itself.
BUSINESS MAN OPENS
FIGHT ON BIG MONOPOLY
5. Leschziner Urges Organized
Effort to Force Legislature
to Give Relief.


phone octopus would only fight duel
and Kill each other what happy COM
munity this would be-
That was the unique way S. Lesch-
liner. the real estate operator. of 776
Broad street, summed up the tele-
phone monopolistic methods to a STAR
reporter today. Mr.. Leschziner is per-
haps the first local business man to
fight against the excessive rates charged
by the New York Telephone Company.
and he promises to join any organized
movement to force relief legislation.
"rate-fixing' utilities bill applicable
to the telephone situation will be the
most important of the bills to be in
troduced in the Assembly next Mon
day night.
IF a business man in Newark puts
a showcase or newsstand on the
sidewalk in front of his store" indig-
nantly declared Mr.. Leschziner. The
Board of Works will forthwith con-
fscate it; but try TO correct an abuse
by the telephone company aud see how
hard the proposition is. was manager
Cedar streets, and | wanted to compel
the telephone company to remove an
Objectionable pole from in front of the
premises. succeeded, but it took two
years fighting to accomplish it, We
are going to force the telephone COM
pany to reduce its excessive rates To
figures within reason. If tho mer-
chants will organize properly and car
ry on their fight in the right way they
can bring about the desired result, but
it is going to take time 81 > trouble,
~ read with much intel, and no
little amazement the Comparative
figures as printed in the EVENING
STAR yesterday. Think Of It, Buffalo,
a larger city than Newark, enjoying a
telephone rate approximately one-third
the price the same company extorts
from the business men of Newark
And there is Rochester, with an un-
limited service, supplied at a cost Of
about half that charged in Buffalo
Why all this discrimination? Newark
pays the same prices as New York
city. and they are the highest in the
United States. Here in Newark We
paid, until the new schedule went into
effect, $3.50 year for an unlimited
as the Buffalo rate and more than three
times that Of Rochester. We didn't
kick at that. But now the telephone
company fixes a schedule so that IL a
business man uses eighteen calls a day
he is compelled to pay ss2S year.
Why this $7s ipcrease?
Suggests a Reason.
rs it because the telephone company
some time ago bought piece OF prop
erty on Market street, the value Of
which is greatly enhanced? Is it be-
cause copper used to sell at thirty cents
and is now down to about fourteen
cents? Is it because the poles are al
down and the fact that the wires are
underground lessons the need of atten-
tion and expense? Is it because the
telephone company is paying lot OF
girls bare living wages? Is it because
the company employs a lot of incoln-
petents? Or is the increase in rates
because the telephone company wants
to raise money enough to pay for its
new building in few days?'
Mr.. Leschziner added that the public
was at the mercy of the telephone
company under the prevailing sched-
nle of rates. Charges are made accord
cd. and Il busy man has not the time
to keep a record of the number of calls
and he is obliged TO trust to the ac-
curacy and honesty of the company
Mr.. Leschziner added that his ex-
perience with many of the companys
employees was that they are mex
perienced and incompetent. He cited
Instances where he had been given
plt. UaH
for them too.
An alderman, who for obvious rea-
sons would not permit the use of his
name, declared today that the exces-
sive rates charged by the telephone
company are an imposition, and that
steps should be taken to correct the
abuses. The Common Council, he ex-
planned. is without power in the prem
ses. He added:
state Must Give Redress.
The telephone company received its
charter from the Board of Works.
There is nothing in the franchise fix
ing or regulating the rates to be
charged by the company. Therefore,
unless the State intervenes, the COM
pany can &C ON extorting any schedule
of rates it wants to. True, any citizen
can apply to the Court of Chancery
for relief For instance, the court
might be shown that the rate of $22S
year is excessive, but the court can
not say what the rate should be. The
company, therefore. could reduce the
scale a dollar or penny, thus making
all the litigation useless. The only way
to bring the telephone trust to time
is by an act of the Legislature, which
I kl.t I'll