Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-01-13


energy and business knowledge Of
such Q man % Armour. who has the
money. who 10 not frightened By the
power Of monopoly, and who might,
II he chose. be remembered - one Of
the real benefactors Of the country
BY breaking down the telephone mon
opoly and making Of the great tels.
phone convenience blessing within
the reach OF oil and % cheap. In pro.
portion. % the national postofacs.
Action By the city council upon the
question Of doing away with the tels
phones In which . nickel II required
before the attention Of central 10 oh.
tained 10 likely to be taken at the nrst
meeting after the council vacation.
Announcement was made by AID.
Britten Of the 23d ward that he in.
tended to present at the meeting an
ordinance compelling the telephone
company to remove whot are known
as "tick tick" phone boxes. His en-.
nouncement followed the delivering
Of an opinion by Corporation Counsel
Sexton that such an ordinance could
be passed under the police powers Of
the city. An effort will be made to
have the council take action upon the
ordinance without referring II to o
committee. several aldermen having
promised to support . motion for the
suspension Of the rules for this pur.
pose.
Il 10 asserted by Aid. Brittsn that
the "tick tick" telephones constitute
Q serious menace.
"The installing Of these devices
has deprived the persons in whose
homes they are Of protection to
which they are entitled against are
and robbers" he said. with these
devices at work It 10 impossible to
obtain the attention Of the telephone
operator until . nickel has been de.
posted In the box. Every one who
IL familiar with the nickel In the slot
telephones knows how often one nnds
ones self without nickel.
"A mans homo might be burned
down or he might be robbed and mur.
dered simply because he did not have
q coin Of the right size at the right
time. Another dimculty 10 that form.
erly q person had to take chances
|only because his telephone might be
out Of order. Now the telephone itself
might be working. but the slot ma
chine box device be out Of order"
Corporation Counsel Sexton gave
his opinion on the authority given the
telephone company to install tho d.
vices on nickel telephones where the
money 10 deposited before . patron ID
able to get the operator at the 70
quest Of AID. Charles N. Thomson
Mr.. Sexton holds that the city can
regulate BY it, police power In case
the services rendered 10 unreasonable
or unfair.
| We take the following from page
"a Of the Report on the Causes oi
Municipal Corruption In San Fran
cisco 90 disclosed by the investiga
tions Of the oliver grand Jury and tht
prosecution of certain persons fol
bribery and other oiienses against thl
state" made by Q committee appoint
!, ed by the mayor of that city and pub
lished by order of the board OF %
pervisors, city and county OF Sal
|, Francisco, January 8. 1910:
, "The Pacih- Telephone and Tele
graph Company bribed the supervis
, ors to prevent the Home Telephone
Company or any other organization
!. from obtaining q telephone franchise
, In San Francisco. No attack OF an,
; kind on the Pacific Telephone AM
!. Telegraph Company was threatene'
. by the Supervisors. and the sole pul
? pose of the crime was to maintain
D profit which might be cut by tn
' competition OF business rivals. tn
q Supervisors were paid in all owe
!. $4,000. The managing committee Q
Q the board of directors Of the compan
: swore before the Grand Jury that the
did not know how the funds wsr
procured for the bribery"
, This report was signed BY Williaf
Q Kent, formerly well known aldel
= man and reformer Of Chicago and si
Q other members Of the committee ay
L pointed by the mayor Of San Francil
, CO. Oct. ~. 1908.
}, Chicago Daily News editorial, d.
< cember 10, 1911:
, 1t has been the aim of the telephon
o company to do away with unlimite
Q service as far as possible and to n
quire all users of its instruments I
go on the measured service basis. Ol
a | pncitiop IN tho IN on curod carvico pla