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

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phone Monopoly will be beaten to .
finish the next time he runs for ONCE.
According to some accounts several
men who are working for the mon.
opoly and It's franchise may not be
residents Of Chicago when the next
election comes around.
The Telephone Monopoly 10 busy
circulating ugly rumors" about the
Corporation Counsel, the Mayor and
the honest aldermen who are standing
up for the peoples rights.
ugly rumors' 10 good.
Aldermen who are anxious to learn
the truth ought to inquire into the de.
tails Of the passage Of the telephone
ordinance five years ago.
ugly rumors"!
Well, there are some pretty ugly
rumors going the rounds just now.
But the Mayor, Corporation Counsel
and honest aldermen are not the ones
affected by them.
A watchful eye is being kept on the
situation by too many people to have
1t easily misunderstood.
A new report has been ordered on
the books and accounts Of the Tele-
phone Trust.
when the aldermen get that report
they ought to be in position to low.
er rates.
II they raise them they will raise
something hotter than this climate
has been for the past few weeks.
The Automatic telephone operated
by the Chicago Tunnel Company 10
far more popular than the Trust
phone.
The figures prove It.
The figures Of the Bell Company are
misleading as to the number Of tele-
phones. While their count Of phones
is no doubt correct, It 10 misleading
because most people think that this
refers to subscribers. A. o matter OF
fact, the number Of telephones 10 less
than 100000 district subscribers. and
that includes their lines In suburban
territory.
They have been thirty.six years get.
ting 100000 subscribers, while the
Chicago Tunnel Company have gotten
$4,000 subscribers In less than two
years.
This shows that the public 10 with
the new Automatic Company.
The Chicago Telephone Company.
which Is suffering so much from
want OF funds, according to certain
city experts" that 1t will have to
raise telephone rates on the people
in order to exist, paid s per cent In
dividends last year.
Think Of II!
Eight per cent on twenty.seven mil
lion dollars!
This is the company that started
with a capital stock OF half q million
and now has capital stock Of TWEEN
ty.seven millions.
IT pays s per cent annual dividend
on tweuty.seveu millions and puts W
a twenty-five story modern once
building besides,
The people OF Chicago are sucf
easy marks that the phone crowd wan
to get more out OF them and asks foI
an increase in rates at the hands o.
the City Council.
And two experts" agree that thi'
poor" company is losing money!
In 1911 the Chicago Telephone Com
pany paid s per cent In quarterly divi
dends Of 2 per cent March 81, pei
cent. June 30 per cent, SeptembeI
80: Q per cent, December 80, 1911.
Here Is a nice little nest egg o
s2,1s0,000 divided up among the stock
holders.
When to this is added the proflt
paid the parent Bell Telephone
Company, the amount grabbed of th'
people OF Chicago is simply enormous
Instead OF raising telephone rates
the City Council should lower them
The net earnings of the Telephon
Trust Increased from s4,270,S09 !
1900 TO s23,095,3s9 in 1910.
And yet the Trust wants to squeez
more money out OF Chicago people.
We take the following from pag
"a OF the Report on the Causes 9
Municipal Corruption in San FraI
cisco as disclosed by the investigs
tlons OF the Oliver grand jury and tn
prosecution of certain persons TO
bribery and other offenses against tn
state" made by a committee appoint
ed by the mayor of that city and pull
llshed by order Of the board OF 81
pervisors, city and county OF Sa
Francisco, January s. 1910:
The Pacific Telephone and Telt
graph Company bribed the superyi'
ors TO prevent the Home Telephon
Company or any other organizatio
from obtaining a telephone franchis
In San Francisco. No attack OF an
kind on the Pacific Telephone an
Telegraph Company was threatene
by the Supervisors. and the sole pul
pose OF the crime was to maintain
,,,htnL rnioht he rnf nv III