Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-09-07


Supervisors were paid in all over
$4,000. The managing committee Of
the board Of directors Of the company
swore before the Grand Jury that they
did not know how the funds were
procured for the bribery"
This report was signed by William
Kent, formerly q we'll known alder
man and reforrher Of Chicago and six
other members Of the committee ap'
pointed by the mayor Of San Francis.
CO, Oct. ~, 1908.
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Telephone competition In Chicago II
needed and needed badly.
The people are sick and tired Of be.
ing forced to submit to the demands
Of the phone trust. They resent the
gall Of the trust in wanting the city
to give It a monopoly and they are not
going to stand for any such action by
NE city.
For years they have suffered pa.
tiently the wrongs put upon them by
the trust and they have come 70 the
position where they are not going to
stand for It 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, 10 telephone
competition.
Chicago demands phone conpeti'
tion.
Competition In the telephone field Il
necessary II the people are to get re-
lief from present high rates for phone
service.
~S\
Mayor Harrison made q popular
move when he ordered a new report
on the telephone situation. The lex
pert" whose report is now In the
hands Of the Council Committee fav
ored the raising Of rates and gen
eral contribution to the necessities ol
the phone gang. His report strangely
enough showed that the Chicago
branch OF the monopoly Is owned
body, boots and breeches by the
American Telephone crowd who con
troll the telephone business Of the
whole country. His report also shows
that the Chicago branch Of the monop
oily Is obliged to buy all Of It's equip
ment from q notorious Electric Com
pany which is also owned by the
American Telephone Trust. This com
pany makes its own prices for what
It sells to the other concern and the
people OF Chicago are expected to pay
for the profits of both subsidiary insti
tutions Of the Trust.
Chicago Daily News editorial. D.
cember 10. 1911:
II has been the aim Of the telephon,
company to do away with unlimited
service % far % possible and to r.
quire all users Of IT. instruments 4
90 on the measured service basis. Op
position to the measured service plal
10 aroused whenever Q patron Of th'
telephone company 10 made to pa,
two tolls whore one should be SUN
Client
The ordinary person in attempting
to telephone to . railroad passengs
station, for example. 10 likely 70 al
for the wrong number for the purpos
Of his call. for % confusing 10 Ii
array Of titles and numbers in tA
telephone directory that Il . ofts'
diAacult to decide upon the department
that 10 wanted. frequently the infol
nation bureau at Q railroad statios
when appealed to. refers the inquire
to another telephone number In tn
same building. This nscessitatss Ii
payment Of a second toll. Telsphon
operators are careful to prevent tn
second call from being made withou
(the payment Of q second nickel.
| Both the railroad companies and th
telephone company should do the!
best to see that the arrangement {
department names In tho telephone d
rectory 10 sufficiently clear to enabl
inquirers to call the hrst time Il
the number they really want.
Tho city ought to have q bureau ,
complaints to which appeals for Ii
improvement OF faulty conditions ,
service might be made BY patrons ,
local public utility corporations.
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The Telephone Monopoly oblig<
the users OF nickel phones to guaral
tee 8 cents per day. II the MONTH
deposit OF nickels falls short OF tt
guarantee the company makes I'll
phone renter pay the difference.
there should happen to be an excei
OF nickels the company gobbles the
all. The phone renter gets no cred
for that excess. That's the logic
the monopoly.
The Chicago Telephone Compsr
charges q much lower rental for
service in suburban towns than
does In the city. Yet the oficsrs
tho corporation have the gall to u
that all OF the big gain In its servi'
reported at the annual meeting tn