Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-02-03

Effie
phone trust and its aides and abettors
are punished.
Charles F. DeWoody, division super.
intendent in the Department Of Jus
tice secret service, returned from
trip on which. 1t Is reported he has
been gathering information for the At.
torney.General regarding the alleged
Bell telephone monopoly.
It IL reported that an investigation
national in its scope, is being carried
on by the forces of Attorney General
Wickersham looking to the fling OF
proceedings for the dissolution OF the
alleged trust. An exhaustive investi-
CATION has been going on in Chicago.
1t Is said, of the operations of the Bell
syndicate alleged to be In violation OF
the Sherman law.
"You have been West 1t Is under.
stood for the purpose Of getting data
bearing on the alleged telephone
trust, have you not?" DeWoody was
asked.
"That Is matter that I cannot
possibly discuss. There Is nothing
that we can announce regarding any
such investigation" was the reply.
We take the following from page
"a Of the Report on the Causes Of
Municipal Corruption In San Fran
cisco ~ disclosed by the investiga
tions Of the oliver grand jury and the
prosecution Of certain persons fol
bribery and other offenses against tht
state" made by . committee appoint
ed by the mayor Of that city and pub
iished by order Of the board Of %
pervisors. city and county OF saz
Francisco, January 8. 1910:
1.-THE Pacih- Telephone and Tels
graph Company bribed the Supervis
ors to prevent the Home Telephone
company Or any other organisation
from obtaining telephone franchise
In San Francisco. No attack OF IN!
kind on the Pacific Telephone an'
Telegraph Company was threatens'
by the Supervisors, and the sole pul
pose Of the crime was to maintain
; proht which might be cut BY tn
competition Of business rivals. Th
Supervisors were paid In all owe
$4,000. The managing committee Q
; the board Of directors Of the eompan,
swore before the Grand Jury that the
did not know how the funds wer
procured for the bribery"
This report was signed By william
Kent, formerly . we'll known aldeI
, man and reformsr Of Chicago and st
. other members Of the committee q
. pointed BY tho mayor Of San Francis
. co. Oct. -. 1908.
, Chicago Daily News editorial. d.
cember 10, 1911:
:, It has been the aim Of the telephon
, company to do away with unlimite
, service az far 40 possible and to n
quire all users Of It's instruments {
60 on the measured service basis. o.
!. position to tho measured service pla
I. is aroused whenever q patron Of th
. telephone company is made to pa
.. two tolls where one should be SUD
|. cient.
The ordinary person in attemptin
: to telephone to railroad passeng'
station, for example, is likely to as
for the wrong number for the purpoi
|, of his call, for so confusing is Il
: array of titles and numbers in Il
= telephone directory that 1t is oftt
= difficult to decide upon the departme
= that Is wanted. Frequently the info
= nation bureau at railroad static
= when appealed to, refers the inquir
to another telephone number in Il
!, same building. This necessitates Il
- payment of second toll. Telephol
!. operators are careful to prevent Il
n second call from being made witho
!. the payment of second nickel.
Both the railroad companies and t
telephone company should do the
:. best to see that the arrangement
- department names in the telephone
y rectory Is sufficiently clear to email
- inquirers to call the first time
y: the number they really want.
- The city ought to have a bureau
= complaints to which appeals for t
improvement Of faulty conditions
p service might be made by patrons
;" local public utility corporation.