The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1912-01-06

in calls, the 5,400.message annual min
imum is reduced from $204 to Sl74;
the Accent charge for additional mes
sages remains unchanged.
The fortunate subscriber who got
10000 messages for Sips a year will
lose his graft.
This shows how regulation may be
to the advantage of the public and OF
the company as well. 1t is really a
striking illustration, too. The tele.
phone charge is major item in many
kinds of business. The man who gets
10000 messages year, over six
phones, for Sl25, has an advantage over
the man who pays cents per message
or about $4,000. That is certainly a
discrimination of the most grievous
character.
Of course the man with the graft
that gives almost free service, Is not
going to favor changes; but the gen.
eral public decidedly will. There is
the great benefcence Of proper regula.
ton. The company, far from losing
anything, will be better off under the
new rates, for they will make the
average mans telephone charge SO
much cheaper than at present that
there will inevitably be disposition
IN ,pon hn al a1xy
In the New York Consolidated Gas
case the court found that S0-cent gas
would not, apparently, earn per cent
on the adjudicated valuation; but il
ordered the rate to be put in, notwith.
standing, and observed that probably
there would be big increase in the
use of gas which would likely increase
the profits to the per cent point.
And there was. Under the reduced
rate the Consolidated earned more
money than ever before!
The Baltimore telephone rates and
the New York gas rates ought to be
conclusive arguments in favor Of pro.
per regulation in Washington. No sug.
gestion of confiscation appears in eithe,
case. In each the corporation itself
appears as the biggest beneficiary. The
public gets a square deal, which II
ought to have, and which, in expert
ence, it is commonly denied unles.
public regulation is invoked to assure
it.
The public utility bill of Repre-
sentative Oldfield ought to be passet
at this session by Congress. The public
service corporations of the town ought
to line up in support of it. They will
do so if they realize their own rea
interests. If they don't they will
sooner or later be run over, and viii
come to regret the blindness that mad,
them unable to appreciate what wal
good for them.
If our public service magnates vii
not realize their own interest in thu
establishment of square-deal admin
iSIidCioh thch ShSy iuuot oS houC ~
accept regulation, willy nilly. The
railroads fought Government regula
ton with might and main. Yet wheI
they got it, what did it dot 1t stoppet
the free pass graft, it stopped rebates
it added to their revenues, it strength
ened public confidence in their financia
condition, it benefited them to such al
extent that few, if any, enlightened
railroad men would today be willing t.
have the Hepburn act repealed.
That has been the experience o
municipal service corporations in New
York, Massachusetts,, Wisconsin, an,
other enlightened States. 1t will b
their experience here; and if the.
haven't vision enough to know wha
they need they ought to have it forces
on them by an intelligent Congress an
an enlightened public opinion.