Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-11
INTERCHANGEABLE
PHONES WANTED
PLAN ON FOOT TO CONNECT
TWO SERVICES
PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
DISCUSSES QUESTION
Companies Hold Conference with
Municipal Committee to Consider
oposition-Nothing Definite
Until February is

A move to have an intermediate
switching system between the Home
and Sunset Telephone companies,
whereby the subscribers of one COM
pany will be able to talk over the
lines of the other, had it's inception
yesterday afternoon at conference
between the public utilities commits
sion and representatives of the tele-
phone companies, when a resolution
passed by the Municipal league and re-
questing the commission to secure If
possible such arrangements was read.
The resolution passed by the Mu-
nicipal league stated that such a
switching system should be established
and that the subscribers of each COM
pany be connected with those of the
other company for a fee not to exceed
! cents. The feasibility of such a plan,
mechanically and financially, was dis
cussed thoroughly both by members of
the commission and representatives Of
the telephone companies.
! C. II. Seeley, district manager of the
| Sunset Telephone company, in speak
| ing of the proposition, said In order
to establish such a system the lines
and plants of each company would
have to be connected, which would in
volve thousands of dollars, and the
question of the merger of the two COM
panies in this way would give legal
aspect to the proposition.
Question of Rates Involved
"We know the same thing is done
every day in offices where they have
both exchanges, but when it comes to
| giving double service to all the sub
scribers of both companies it is an en-
tirely different matter And then there
| is the question of the different rates
| of the two companies.
"A person having Sunset telephone
and paying $1.50 a month for it would
be afforded the use of the Home Tele-
| phone company phones, the rates or
| which are 50 a month-that is, resi-
dence phones. And then there is the
| question of the different plants of the
| two companies. That of the Home
| company is both automatic and man
ual, while that of the Sunset is en-
tirely manual"
Judge ]. A. Gibson, attorney for the
Home Telephone company, in speaking
of the legal side of the question, stated
that although the proposition can be
| found to be feasible from a mechan-
| ical standpoint, he was very much in
doubt whether it could be done legally
by consolidating the two companies.
"A system of this kind has been
suggested two or three times only
| throughout the United States that l
know of, and it never has been found
| to be successful said A. B. Cass,
| president of the Home Telephone COM
pany.
Investigations Must Be Made
Action on the matter was continued
until March 10, when the several as
pects of the question will have been
Investigated both by the commission
and the telephone companies, and a
report will be made.
The matter of fixing rates for the
telephone companies from the present
time until July l was brought up again
and reports read showing the number
of telephones operated by each COM
pany and the rates charged.
The matter in controversy is the
question of the companies charging
more for their telephones in newly an
nexed territories than in the city
proper.
Several complaints have been made
to us from subscribers living in the
newly annexed territories asking why
they should be charged more than
those living in the city," said Mr.. Liss-
ner, chairman of the commission.
"Those who have telephones in the
newly annexed districts, and who had
them established before the consolida-
tions, entered into contracts with the
company agreeing to pay the rate
charged for phones outside of the city
limits" said Mr.. Cass. "It will only
be three months before the rates will
be fixed, and we hardly think it nee
essary to lower our rates for that short
| a time"
The matter was continued until Feb
ruary Is. The companies were re-
quested to put their propositions and
suggestions in writing and present
| them to the commission at that time.