Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1912-05-25

company gobbles them all. The phone
renter gets no credit for that excess.
That's the logic q he moaopely.
~6A
Chicago Daily News editorial. De-
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 It's instruments to
go on the measured service basis. Op-
position to tho measured service plan
is aroused whenever q patron Of the
telephone company II made to pay
two tolls where one should be sum.
Client.
The ordinary person in attempting
to telephone to a railroad passenger
station, for example, Is likely to ask
for the wrong number for the purpose
of his call, for 30 confusing is tho
array Of titles and numbers In the
telephone directory that Il IL often
difficult to decide upon the department
that is wanted. Frequently the infor.
nation bureau Mt o railroad station,
when appealed to. refers the inquirer
to another telephone number in the
same building. This necessitates the
payment Of a second toll. Telephone
operators are careful to prevent the
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 Is sufficiently clear to enable
inquirers to call the nrst time for
the number they really want.
The city ought to have o bureau of
complaints to which appeals for the
improvement Of faulty conditions Of
service might be made by patrons of
local public utility corporations.
The Telephone Trust doesn't want
much from the City Council.
Il only wants the phone rates raised
. trihe. They are not high enough at
present to swell the dividends Of the
local and the parent company.
Il only wants permission to install
pay.in.advance slot machines all over
the city. because people are no: losing
enough nickels already.
Il wants the people to bear more Of
its earning expenses than they do now.
It wants them to deposit . nickel
before they can get police or nre pro-
tection on An emergency call.
It wants the city to give Il free
rein 70 carry out its designs on the
public.
Il wants q great deal more.
What aldermen will sell out their
constituents to help this monopoly
The telephone trust 10 the most
grinding OF the many trusts that exist
In the United States.
Il snufls out competition BY the
power OF it, money and the people
are like 20 many serfs TO be used at
its own beck and call.
The rising tide Of indignation Will
never subside until the whole tele.
phone trust and its aides and absttors
are punished.
Charles F. DeWoody. division super.
intendent In the Department Of Jus.
tice secret service. returned from q
trip on which 1t is reported no has
been gathering information for the At
torney.General regarding the alleged
Bell telephone monopoly.
It is reported that an Investigation
national In It's scope, is being carried
on by the forces Of Attorney General
Wickersham looking to the hling Of
proceedings for the dissolution Of the
alleged trust. An exhaustive investi.
cation has been going on in Chicago.
1t Is said, OF the operations Of the Bell
syndicate alleged to be in violation OF
the Sherman law.
"You have been West II 10 under.
stood for the purpose Of getting data
bearing ON the alleged telephone
trust. have you not?" Dswoody was
asked.
"That is a matter that I cannot
possibly discuss. There IL nothing
that we can announce regarding any
such Investigation" was the reply.
The Chicago Telephone Company
charges a much lower rental for it's
service in suburban towns than It
does in the city. Yet the oficers Of
the corporation have the gall to say
that all OF the big gain in its service
reported at the annual meeting this
year came from the country. This. Of
course, Is q 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 the Chi.