The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1912-08-02
POSTAL CL AIMS UNFAIR.

Before the Public Utilities Commits
sion of Maryland. the Frederick Tele-
graph troubles recently played a big
part in the proceedings. The commits
sion gave hearing to the charge which
the Postal Telegraph COMPANY brought
against the Chesapeake and Potomac
Telephone Company, alleging that the
latter company was discriminating in
favor of the Western Union Telegraph
Company.
At the hearing Traffic Supervisor L.
/ Howell, OF New York, of the Postal
Telegraph Company recited how he
had made discovery in the Frederick
office of the Chesapeake and Potomac
Telephone Company that the company
was tavoring the Western Union Tele
graph Company.
Mr.. Howell recited that he was in
Frederick on May 18th, last. and he
LETT his personal card at the Office of r
w. Stake, the local telephone company
manager. He wrote on the back of the
card that he was from the office OF a
( New England Telephone Company, and
/ later when he met Mr.. Stake, invited
| him to dinner. After the meal Mr..
/ Stake invited Mr.. Howell to inspect the
! telephone plant, which he did He de.
| scribed how he saw several cards on the
switch boards. two of which he com
/ mtted to memory and wrote down after
/ he had left
One of the cards read in substance.
/ as directions to the telephone operators:
If I-2 the Postal Company does not
answer quickly, call ". T.. in order to
/ avoid annoyance and delays to patrons. "
The other card read:
If the Postal won't answer call Baltl-
more or Washington W. L, for con-
neCtion.'
1; was shown that Mr. Howell had
later made an affidavit to these notices
and they were printed in publication
OF the Postal Company under the title
| Thou Shalt Not Steal He admitted
this frankly
John J. Snyder, Postal operator at
| Frederick, and whom the Baltimore
-4NSJTcGN describes as "a short. wlrv,
alert Young chap told how A Fred
erlck firm had complained that the Postal
/ people were not keen after business and
explained that the fault was due to the
telephone company not giving proper
connections. He cited a case where the
! exchange girl had refused to call up
firm for him, but said that he had not
! reported it as he did not want TO get
the girls in wrong"
A ltimore Postal employe told
how he had called their Office from a
! North Baltimore drug store and was
twice given the Western Union. He ad-
mtted that he had no telegram. but was
making a test by the orders of the man
! ager. Mr.. mcfarland again brought up
the JeSuitical aphorism that the end JUS
titles the means, but the witness said that
he had no opinion in the matter and
simply obeyed orders
Miss Mary Dixon. who was a telephone
! girl at the Frederick exchange during
the month of April. testified that the
first notice that Mr. Howell saw was
| placed during that month, and said that
! all OF the operators were forced to obey
| il.
The Postal Telegraph Company is also
making a fight in the other States as we'll
as in Maryland against the alleged dis
| elimination in favor of the Western IN
| ion Telegraph Company by the Chesa-
peake and Potomac and the Allied Tele-
phone Companies.
Recently the New York Public Service
Commission, District No I, ruled that
the New York Telephone Company
must not favor the Western Union and
must give a call number.
The commission is asked to rule that
both telegraph companies shall fare
equally when persons telephone for
telegraph company and that each COM
pany be required to answer calls by
number and not name.
The Public Service Commission re-
| queSted the counsel representing th-
Postal Telegraph and the Telephone
! companies to file briefs by September I.
One of the incidents Of the hearing be-
fore the commission was a question
asked by Henry B F. Mcfarland, Of
Washington, the counsel for the c s.
Co. After Mr.. Howell's recital Mr.
Mcfarland shouted: Then you have
lied and stolen2' addressing his question
to Nj Howell after the latter had told
of his plot to trap" the telephone com
pany.
This must stop; there can be no such
language before this commission" ex-
claimed Commissioner z. Clay TimanuS
and Chairman Laird energetically waged
dissent to Mr. Mcfarland.