The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-08-19
MUTUAL RELATIONS AND
 INTERESTS OF THE BELL
 SYSTEM AND THE PUBLIC

tain telephone properties in the north west, as well as the pending Interstate Commerce Commission telephone in vestigation, has caused many inquir- les. Without taking up anything go- ing to the merits of these proceedings, it has seemed to us proper to state generally what has been our policy and purpose in the conduct of our business
 We have found, or thought that we had, that our interests were best served when the public interests were best served; and we believe that such sue cess as we have had has been because our business has been conducted on these lines
 We believe that our com pa,ny has an interest as vital as that of the public in the proper administration of the ,rohlerns of electrical tnter-communi- cation. The success and prosperity or ~t,lir company depend upon a solution of these problems which shall be sound from both the standpoint of the company and the public which 1t serves.
 Following our own best Judgment, nuppIennerted by the best obtadnab1e advice. we have endeavored to do what would best serve the public interest; wherever possible our plans have been disclosed to the public in advance, and what has been done in carrying them out has been along ordinary business lines, with the implied. and generally, with the expressed approval, authori- zation or consent of the municipal and rtate authorities directly interested. Our effort has been not only to obey the law. but to avoid everything which might even have the Appearance of an attempt at evasion.
 Our business methods and policy, and practically all of the details as to the transaction of our business, are matters of common knowledge and are. and for many years have been, well known to the government We will willingly furnish the government any additional information which is in our possession or under our control, and will cordially cooperate with it in obtaining such further information as 1t may require. Every possible assist ance will be given by US to the courts in their effort to determine whether our policy is or has been ininica1 to tfe public interest We desire that anything wrong be correcteds we will voluntarily rectify any wrong that may be pointed out to us; and, so far as it may be determined that our pol- icy or any act under it is against the public interest, we will promptly con form to such determination.
 We believe that if each of our ex- changes were made an Independent unit and if each connecting line were put under separate control, the eff feet upon the telephone service of the country would be a conditi on so intoI- erable that the public would refuse to submit to it and would immediately reoire such physical connection and common control of these various units as would amalgamate them into a single system Physical connection in the case Of telephone or telegraph does not mean transfer of messages from one line to the other. It means such a connection as will permit one person to have the actual possession of the particular line of communica- ton from one end of it to the other and this can only be given efficiently by exchange systems and connecting lines under a common control; and that is what the Bell System is
 In this connection, and for general information, we will restate the policy which controlled the building up o1 the Bell System, and our belief as -tc what a telephone system should be- and what are its relations to the pub lie.
 We believe in and were the first tc advocate state or government control and regulation of public utilities; thai this control or regulation should be b5 permanent quasi-judicial bodies. act ; ing after thorough investigation and governed by the equities of each case; and that this control or regulation, be. xond requiring the greatest efficiency
 
 with management or operation. We believe that these bodies, if they art to be permanent, effective and of pub lie benefit, should be thoroughly rep resentative; they should be of sucI character and should so conduct theil investigations and deliberations as tc command such respect from both th' public and the corporations that botl will without question accept their con clusioEs
 We believe that the public would in this way get all the advantage and avoid all the manifest disadvan tages of public ownership
 We believe that centers of bushes and population exist for the convent ence of the public as a whole, and tha no such center can prosper wtthou sufficient and efficient means of in tercourse with other centers and tribu tary territories; that such means cal only be afforded by prosperous uti1 fty and service companies and tha fair rates are essential to prosperou companies. We do not believe that an. public either desires or can obtain nor can any service or utility furnish permanent and efficient service at les than cost, including capital charges We believe that ultimately the publi either directly or indirectly pays tn losses involved in the efforts to fur nish such service at less than it's fai cost, either through the loss of tn capital involved, the losses incident t poor service or the necessary iITcreas in charges required to pay for dupH