Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-04-11

a al LnHsFF roe
grounded line se,,-fcc mas been furnished
In yofr city for saVcfai vears All three
party service vas withdrawn by fine
eonrnanv in 1q65 ana contracts therefor
chansged "a some afber ciess "a sarvioa
n fs etthfoiftsd not M c5,ston1er eol,ld
properlv claim nnder@ tbo renresentations,
sra fef .tY,, sr,.na+nr ,ityI,t. f,an we're Ia 4
bv customer nsing metafiie circuit SER
vice I'm ,S9j AZ . f,atfer az fact HE me
taIlic service c5verintF The three cX-
cl,ano,e ~ f,,r,IiI,,. ,,,ft,ut, and IaIl
we'll offered iadav nndcp Tho new rates
now under disruesion Is stinerior IN
quality and loss in price than the metal
lie service offered in 1925, and this is
true although f6o rates Iinder dfscIlssiol !
are somewhat higher than those Dreyafl-
ing for similar ssntyica inst urior Ia Ireb-
ruarV 1912.
The Subscribers for three party
grounded line residence service which
was febated for a Few months in 1885 TO
"A net price of sfSon hut which after No
venlber l. 1885 was furnished nj the
price of $50 G0 who when that class Of
service was withdrawn in 1901 changed
over to $500 ten party metallic service
timel and who under the new rates are
unable to communicate with Augusta
and Hallowcn without payment of a TOLL
are the only SUBSCRIBERS who can under
any view be said 10 be in n worse uoSI-
ton than they were in 1895 These sun
scrfbcrs will lose The free service with
Hallowell and Augusta. but they are to
have the six party metallic local SER
vice in place Of the grounoed line ser
vice which they had in 1895. and i'm place
of the ten party metallic service WnIc.l
they have had since 1851 These sub
scribers have. like other subscribers of
the company i'm Gardiner and elsewhere,
signed written contracts containing pro-
visions for termination b. either marty
at the expiration of one year upon civ
ing 30 dave notice, and expressly pro-
viding against any modification of the
contract terms. Investigation Will show
that the past conduct oil cur business in
Gardiner cannot have been based flpou
any such contract as is claimed bv your
committee for we have from time to
time withdrawn claSScS Of service and
substituted others, which in turn have
been modified or withdrawn Il ON trial
they proved to be unsatisfactory or UNI
profitable and our rates i'm Gardiner
have from time To time been modified in
the same manner as In other Similar cit
les throughout our TERRITORY
Can it be argued either rs matter of
law, equity, good business or common
sense that this class of subscribers has
a right to receive particular and spec
ial class of service at a fixed price ire
spectiye of the cost of furnishing that
service when all admit that a public
service corporation is entitled to a fair
profit out of earnings on all property
used in the public service?
If the claim is sound then The aVera re
telephone user in Gardner is foreyer
saddled with the obligation to make up
losses Incurred hy. the conponp in M
viding a special and exnensire service
to a few. Is this equitable in view of
the fact that the re-arrangement of rates
now complained of will result in reduc-
ing the toll charge between Augusta and
Gardiner paid by the general public from
10c to &C. and will result in Iower rates
Tor local exchange service than hava
hitherto prevailed for similar service?
In this connection we desire Ia noint
out that test made during the week %
October % to 90 1911, showed that 1855
subscribers in our Gardiner EXcnansse
out of &C. were entitled under the rates
then paid, to free service with UallowcfI
and Augusta. These 9S5 Subscribers made
81 calls during the week. and of that
number 1s4 made no use Of The privtle%e
whatsoever; G. others made but one call
each, so that IS per cent, of the suh
scribcrs who were paving for This nrivi
lege made ONLY a little more than & per
cent of the calls ON The other hand Slv
subscribers who had this pfivi1aae roa,1e5
14S of the calls. In other wor,is 1iSce If
the subscribers made over 17ee of the
calls \ similar Investigation n3ada diir
ing the week Of February u to y igi5
Showed nfacffraEI- M. cta,,7,, ,o,.5,i. . -, -.
those stated aboy9
Some one must nav the cost of this sor-
vice That some one must be either. The