The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-06-26
TELEPHONES ~ ENGLAND.
Anxiety ~ 10 the Eject when the Govern
ment Has a ManoDoly.


LONDON. June ia-Business men and
others who use the telephone in England
are looking forward with fear and Tem-
bling 90 the erd % next year. when he
National Telephone Company. which has
hitherto enjoyed what amounts 20 .
I telephone monopoly in Great Britain
will turn over lie business b BE- admin.
! igtered by the Government post oHlce
I which has for several years past bern
I preparing the way for the absorption ~
| Installing Instruments uf its own
Those whoa necessity has compelled
! % Use the two systems side by side h',e
! had a useful object lesson In comparing
/ nationaliEed public enterprises wits
private endeavoT. Tho post ofice tsls.
phone service d universally denounced
as slow and Inefficient compared With he
National That under state mans cement
the future lot % subscribers viii he hard
IL generally feared
Allegations Of exfravANnnce IN ccn.
atruction. working and maipssnnESs q
the telephones already owned by the posi
office are sustained by figures showing
that while the National Company'a et-
changes have cost on an average $751;
those Of tho post ONCE have cost Sc,
each.
Attention Ia now directed 10 ths faci
that from tho latest returns the palm "
economical construction and manage
meut must BE- conceded 10 the few munic-
ipal telephone services that oxis, in he
country
How the private company compares
with the State and tho municipality .
shown BY the following table in vhich
Hull and Portsmouth figure ~ rspre-
sentative municipalities:
JsS ss r.. Gi g. H,.s 5 ssSs
Capital COS, per sn ttsi % iisI % 81, So
~ Anaus, revenue, MH So p e
A. A.. s sSsSsl S SISs, 80 80 nnS : =
In the oasos Of municipalities tho worI-
ing expenaos include interest an ard r..
payment Of capital. Items which arr 20;
Incurred By the company. Tho actual
municipal working expenses are cona'-
quently much below those OF the rorl-
rany.
Ths rule Of the municipalities IL - eve
every subscriber q direct private mstalA'
circuit % tho Csntral. whereas on the rosi
once system q wire b shared betwee1
twenty or twenty-five subscribers De
municipalities do not aim 90 profits, ~
intention being 30 give ths taxpayers
Telephones at TIE lowest cost CONNER
4uf1to Win Hoo1 aafFto9.
Moreover the post o1loo charges tl
corporations 10 per caut on their grns-
telephone reyanti9 for the right 20 carry
on q telephone business. and the cosl q.
providing, maintaining and working ,n+
oommuniuati0n with the Governnen'
trInk linsa, together with that o. CO..
lecting trunk lins aocounta. ami ~.
municipalltiss naturally complain Of 'te~
unfair burdens,
~ q b now Il % hopeless 70 comrlan
10 the OOvsrnment about inefficient 'e.e
phone service. 10 anybody is too.sa
enough 10 do 70 he CITE a printed ~
nclrnHW ledHing r8celpt uf the compi&
and that'a about an that the 0oveTuin"ni
docs.
FFoquantly 10 tales two minutes Ann
'nnnng % induce aBantrnl' % answer
sall, The fFe0uancy With which sID
soTiber gs11 q wrong number "a prn'oos
i've al strong language. II ig oqualisi ~
BIZ ths fFe1usnGg With which q connecto-
. abruptly cga % before The co1VeTaai''N