The San Francisco call., 1910-06-01

With the Pacific telephone and tele-
graph company willing that the $3.50
residence telephone should continue in
service, but taking a resolute stand
against the cheaper business services
on the ground that the latter benefits
its competitor. the Home telephone
company, the discussion over. the new
rate ordinance has developed features
that indicate battle for supremacy be-
tween the public service corporations.
The ordinance was returned to the spe-
cial committee for amendment yester-
day afternoon by the board of super
visors.
Attorney Sidney V. Van Wyck Jr. ap-
peared before the board and made a
vigorous attack on the ordinance, de-
claring that the reductions in phone
rates applied only to the large users,
while the services of the smaller users
were either abolished or made more
costly.
TALK OF running COMPANY
After the adjournment of the board
A. B. Bush. representing the Pacific
telephone and telegraph company, de-
clared that to continue the operation
of the cheaper business service would
mean to ruin the companys business, as
the public took advantage of the low
rates to patronize both telephone COM
panies and divide the calls.
Bush stated that with the tremendous
amount of cheap service in the $1.50
resident nickel in the slot phones 1t
was necessary to make up the average
of income by an increase in another
direction. According to his statement
there were $4,000 of these cheap resi-
dent telephones in the city, while the
Home telephone company was not COM
PEELED to give service at less than So.
He said:
We are willing to grant the con-
tinuance of the $3.50 unlimited
residence telephone, for as a mat
ter of fact no one wants this serv-
Ice anyway, but we can not stand
a continuation of the cheaper buSi-
ness services in conjunction with
the uniformly sweeping reduction
in our rate schedule
WHAT COMPANY WANTS
The nickel in the slot phone, the
SO four party nickel in the slot
phone and the So measured service,
are the wires that we want abol-
ished We have found growing
tendency of businessmen to take
50 phone with so switches and in
stall a So Home phone with 80
switches, obtaining both services
for less than the s12.47 phone
and which in many cases they have
dropped.
The fopr party business service is
impraeticable and has been dropped
throughout the eastern cities. For
this reason we do not believe that
the elimination of the 81 and SO
business phones will be objected to
very much. As for the SO busi-
ness phone there is only per cent
of our business subscribers who
fSe fenisb this bem phon pioe propose Pos so3 to
two party line at $3.50 or an in
dividual line nickel in the slot at
$3.50.
The chief complaints center about
the proposal to do away with the
cheaper insurance rates and the aboli-
tion Of the measured service. The
measured service does not require the
use of nickels, and the cheapest that
is now proposed is $3.50.
Supervisor Robert Loughery, chair
man of the committee, said that he
would urge that the $3.50 resident
phone and the So business phone should
be included in the new ordinance next
Friday morning at II o'clock, when it
comes up before the committee for
amendment. He said:
There is a mistaken impression
that we have overlooked the or
is not so, as the $3.50 telephones are
not affected. am anxious to
please everybody and favored the
adjustment of the SIS business
was given to understand that it
was unsatisfactory.
The committee wishes to keep
this matter out of the courts The
water rates and the gas rates are
now in court and we don't want
the telephone rates to follow. We
have made a maximum table and /
am certain that rate fight will
set a minimum of it's own.
OBJECTIONS TO CHANGE
Attorney Van Wyck said in part
The new ordinance abolishes
some services and reduces the price
of others. The services that have
been abolished are the cheaper
ones. Other services are substi-
tuted, it is true, but they are of a
different class and, though admit
tedly better services they cost
more money.
The businessmans S measured serv-
ice is done away with and almost
so per cent more switches are al
lowed him at an additional cost of
$3.50. What does the man who gets
along very well on the former so
switches want with a greater num-
ber of calls at greater price?
The nickel in the slot phones re-
main, but to the man who does not
want to be bothered with this con-
trivance 1t is a nuisance and un-
satisfactory. The company can not
urge any reason that is worthy of
consideration for doing away with
the measured service to the small.
businessman.