Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-08-10


payment Of a second toll. Telephone
operators are careful to prevent the
second call from being made without
the payment Of a second nickel.
Both the railroad companies and the
telephone company should do their
best to see that the arrangement Of
department names In the telephone di.
rectory 10 sufficiently clear TO enable
inQuirers to call the first time for
the number they really want.
Ths city ought to have Q bureau Of
complaints to which appeals for the
improvement Of faulty conditions Of
service might be made By patrons Of
local public utility corporation.
The Chicago Telephone Company
charges q much lower rental for ito
service in suburban towns than It
does In the city. Yet the oflcsrs Of
the corporation have the gail to say
that all OF the big gain In it, service
reported at the annual meeting this
year came from the country. This, Of
course. 10 . reason for raising the
rates. The following from the Chica-
60 Daily News shows how the phone
people bank on the reports Of the
city experts"
slight gains in revenues were ~.
ported to the stockholders Of the Chi.
cago Telephone Company at the an.
nual meeting. although there was .
falling OF In the profits in the city Of
Chicago itself. This loss was due,
according to President Bernard r.
sunny's report. to the constantly In.
creasing number Of nickel . day"
telephones, the revenue on which ~.
erases $22.70 per annum 40 against .
cost Of operation, he said, Of 92S.6l,
% fixed by one city expert and 125.2s
% fixed BY another city expert. The
pecentage Of nickel telephones In
Chicago increased 30 per cent In 1905
and ~ per cent IN 1911. The com.
pany reports increased earnings IN
the suburban division. which Offset
the losses in Chicago"
The Telephone Trust doesn't want
much from the City Council.
II only wants the phone rates raised
. tribe. They are not high enough ct
present 70 swell the dividends Of tho
local and tho parent company.
Il only wants permission 70 install
pay'in.advance slot machipes all over
the city. because people are not losing
enough nickels already.
Il wants the people to bear more Of
tn earning expenses than they do now.
Il wants them to deposit Q nickel
before they can get police or Ore pro.
lection on an emergency call.
Il wants the city 70 give Il free
rein 70 carry out it, designs on the
public.
Il wants Q great deal more.
What aldermen will sell out their
constituents to help this monopoly
From a learned Experts" reports
to the City Council We learn that:
Telephone rates should be raised
because the Bell Telephone Company
owns the local telephone company.
Because the Western Electrical
Company Is also owned by the Bell
Telephone Company.
Because the local telephone com.
pany is obliged to buy all OF its equip
ment and necesarles from the West
ern Electrical Company.
Because neither the Western Elec
trical Company or the local telephone
company would have big enough prof
| It's to suit the Bell Telephone, which
owns them, II Chicago people were
not pressed for little more coin and
their telephone rates raised.
Because the local telephone com
pany has increased its capital stock
from the original 100000 to $4,000,
900 and $5,OOO,OOO more In bonds.
Because the stockholders would not
get big enough dividends on this i'm
mense stock issue II the people Of Chi
cago were not squeezed.
Therefore the telephone company
has the nerve to ask the City Council
to raise the rates on the people o.
| Chicago.
The people of Chicago are to b'
used as serfs by the Telephone Mon
opoly and the last drop Is to bt
squeezed out Of them.
In the meantime 1t would be wei
for the aldermen to inquire into thu
alleged relations, in the past of Ger
tain city officials with the above cleo
trical company, the twin OF the loca
telephone company, both being owned
by the Bell Monopoly.
The telephone gang want the coun
Gil to raise the rates on all phones
To abolish all fiat phones and MAKE
everybody take measured service.
To put a nickel in every phone be
fore connection Is made.
Fire Marshal Seyferlich ASSERTED
that as practically one-half Of the fir'
and police alarms are received by tele
phone, he did not favor the genera
installation of the "pay-in-advance'
type of telephone instrument now be
a ~. MI Z