Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-08-24

position where they are not going to
stand for 1t any longer.
The one thing that will put stop
to the high rates and poor service,
from which the people Of Chicago
have suffered for years, is telephone
competition.
Chicago demands phone competi.
ton.
Competition in the telephone field 10
necessary II the people are to get re-
lief from present high rates for phone
service.
~
Chicago Daily News editorial, Do
cember 10. 1911:
It has been the aim Of the telephone
company to do away with unlimited
service as far as possible and to re.
Quire all users Of its instruments to
90 on the measured service basis. Op-
position to the measured service plan
IL aroused whenever . patron Of the
telephone company 10 made TO pay
two tolls where one should be sum.
cient.
The ordinary person in attempting
to telephone to . railroad passenger
station, for example. 10 likely to ask
for the wrong number for the purpose
Of his call. for 70 confusing 10 the
array Of titles and numbers In the
telephone directory that Il 10 often
difncult 70 decide upon the department
that 10 wanted. Frequently the infor.
nation bureau at . railroad station,
whom appealed to. refers the inquirer
to another telephone number In the
same building. This necessitatss the
payment Of . second toll. Telephone
operators are careful to prevent tho
second call from being made without
the payment Of . 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 hrst time for
the number they really want.
The 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 much lower rental for ito
service In suburban towns than II
does In the city. Yet the oflicers Of
the corporation have the gall 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 tho Chi.
cago Telephone Company at the an.
nual meeting. although there was Q
falling OF In the pronts 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 av.
erages 322.70 per annum 40 against q
cost OF operation. he said, Of $2S.64,
as fixed by one city expert, and $25.2S
az fixed by another city expert. The
pecentage OF nickel telephones In
Chicago increased SO per cent In 1908
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
q trife. They are not high enough at
present to swell the dividends OF the
local and the parent company.
II only wants permission to install
pay.in-advance slot machines all over
the city. because people are not losing
enough nickels already.
II wants the people to bear more OF
It's earning expenses than they do now.
1t wants them to deposit a nickel
before they oan get police or fire pro-
tectlon on an emergency call.
It wants the city to give It free
rein to carry out Its designs on the
public.
II wants a great deal moro.
What aldermen will sell out their
constituents to help this monopoly
%G~