Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-01-27

lnquirers to call the first time for
the number they really want.
The city ought to have O bureau Of
complaints to which appeals for the
improvement Of faulty conditions )of
service might be made by patrons Of
local public utility corporation.
A gentleman named Bemis, who IL
called telephone expert, has hand.
ed In a report to the City Council
iavorlng the installation Of nickel
first telephones.
The report of Mr.. Bemis shows
that there are 145,920 nickel.in.the.
slot phones now In use In Chicago.
Mr. Bemis, as expert, wanted to
find out just how the users Of the
nickel.in.the.slot phones liked the
service so he wrote to $50 out Of 145,.
920 subscribers to find out.
| Think Of 1t! He wrote to $50 out
of 145,920. and that ought to satisfy
anyone 'ha. the report deals in facts.
But he only received thirty.one re.
plies.
The balance of the one hundred
and fifty asked, were too indignant to
make reply.
Only thirteen Of the thirty.one who
answered expressed themselves as
satisfied with the service. while
eighteen replies were unfavorable to
the service.
But we will let Mr.. Bemis' report
tell its own story.
"Of $50 inquiries made into the use
Of this phone," says Mr.. Bemis in his
report, "only .thirty.one replies were
received to date. Presumably the 119
not replying had no very serious com.
plants to make. or the thirty-one
replying, thirteen were entirely salts.
fled, several referred the nickel first
to the nickel last type on account OF
quicker service. ,.he objections urged
In the eighteen unfavorable replies
were either that central could not be
reached without the depositing Of q
nickel In case Of fire or robbery or
other emergency, or the loss OF occa.
sional nlckels and consequent annoy.
ances connected Herewith.
"The emergency objection appears
worthy Of consideration. In July,
1911, there were 1,S46 calls for police
and 327 calls for the fire department
or total OF 2,173 such emergency
calls on the 10000 nickel first phones
then Is use"
But, then, Mr.. Expert Bemis favors
/ TIM nvtnnotnp ~ N yntnlxa1
phones because the poor telephone
company will be able to save $4,000
to $4,000 year by installing them!
In conclusion the report says:
while 1t has not been possible in
the time at hand to make an ex.
haustive study OF this important ques.
tion, It is believed that II the commit.
tee would require the company to
provide upon request O suitable de-
vice for emergency slugs. and full,
printed explanation to be posted on
every phone, telling how to use the
phone and also how to safeguard the
nickel, 1t would be we'll to permit a
further extension OF the nickel first
phones II the company can thus save
the $4,000 to $4,000 year that It
believes 1t Is Low losing from the
failure to collect on nickel last
phones"
Mr.. Bemis report, when It is ana.
lyzed is the strongest possible argu.
ment against nickel first phones or
an increase Of rates.
Are the aldermen with the people
or the telephone company?
The public is watching this fight
with great interest.
It is reported that the telephone
company has hit upon new scheme
for the extraction Of the n!mble nickel
from the clothes Of customers.
The new scheme Is called the
short ring"
Heretofore when call was made
the telephone bells jingled long
time or until they were answered.
Now, in some parts OF the city they
are barely tapped.
OF course II the party called does
not hear the mild ring or takes the
sound for "sRossed wire." Or mis-.
take" the caller has to try 1t over
again and drop another nickel.
This nickel movement is a great
thing.
In fact, in Chicago the telephone
company has discovered the richest
nickel mine on earth.
Penny telephones are to be estab.
lished in Detroit and there Is no good
reason why they should not be estab.
lished In Chicago. The following
dispatch from Detroit explains itself:
Reduction Of local telephone rates