Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-08-17

pany paid S per cent in quarterly divi.
dends OF 2 per cent March 81, 2 per
cent, June 80: 2 per cent, September
80; per cent. December 80, 1911.
Here is a nice little nest egg Of
S2.16o,0O0 divided up among the stock.
holders.
when to this is added the profits
paid the parent Bell Telephone
Company, the amount grabbed of the
people Of Chicago is simply enormous.
Instead Of raising telephone rates,
the City Council should lower them.
Mayor Harrison made popular
move when he ordered 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 Of
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 its equip.
ment from a notorious Electric Com.
pany which Is also owned by the
American Telephone Trust. This com.
pany makes It's own prices for what
1t 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.
We take the following from page
"a Of the Report on the Causes Of
Municipal Corruption In San Fran.
cisco as disclosed by the investiga-
tions OF the Oliver grand jury and the
prosecution Of certain persons for
bribery and other offenses against the
state,' made by committee appoint.
ed by the mayor Of that city and pub.
llshed by order OF the board Of 81.
pervisors, city and county Of San
Francisco, January 8, 1910:
The Pacific Telephone and Tele.
graph Company bribed the Supervis.
ors to prevent the Home Telephone
Company or any other organization
from obtaining a telephone franchise
in San Francisco. No attack Of any
kind on the Pacific Telephone and
Telegraph Company was threatened
by the Supervisors, and the sole pur.
pose of the crime was to maintain
profit which might be cut by the
competition of business rivals. The
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 reformer OF Chicago and six
other members Of the committee ap'
pointed by the mayor OF San Francis
co, Oct 12, 1908.
Telephone competition In Chicago Is
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 1t monopoly and they are not
going TO stand for any such action by
.he city.
For years they have suffered pa
tiently the wrongs put upon them by
the trust and they have come to the
position where they are not going to
stand for 1t any longer.
The one thing that will put stop
10 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 is
necessary IL the people are to get re-
lief from present high rates for phone
service,
~
Chicago Daily News editorial, De.
eember 10, 1911
II 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
20 on the measured service basis. Op-
position TO tho measured service plan
is aroused whenever patron OF the
telephone company Ia made to pay
two tolls where one should be sufl.
cient.
The ordinary person in attempting
to telephone TO Q railroad passenger
station, for example. Is likely TO ask
for the wrong number for the purpose
OF his call. for 90 confusing 10 tie
array OF titles and numbers In the
telephone directory that It 10 oftsa
dificult TO decide upon the department
that is wanted. Frequently the infor'
nation bureau at q railroad station.
when appealed TO. refers the inquirer
TO another telephone number In the
same building. This leeessitates the