Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-08-29
MUTUAL RELATIONS AND INTERESTS
OF The BELL SYSTEM AND The PUBLIC

states questioning the purchase OF GER
tain telephone properties in the north
west, as well as the pending Interstate
Commerce Commission telephone inves
tigation, have caused many inquiries.
Without taking up anything going 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 .hterests 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 company has an
interest as vital as that of the public
in the proper administration of the
problems of electrical inter.communi.
cation. The success and prosperity of
our company depend upon solution of
these problems which shall be sound
from both the standpoint of the com.
pany and the public which it serves.
Following our own best Judgment,
supplemented by the best obtainable
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
STATED 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
it 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 inimical to
the public interest. We desire that
anything wrong be corrected; 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 condition so intOl-
cradle that the public would refuse to
submit to it and would Immediately
require 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. 1t means such
connection as will pepmit one person
to have the actual possession of the
particular line Of communication 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 Of |
the Bell System, and our benef as to
what a telephone system should be and
what are its relations to the public.
We believe in and were the first to
advocate state or government control
and regulations of public utihues; that
this control or regulation should be by
permanent quasijuSlicial bodies, act
ing after thorough investigation and
governed by the equities Of each case;
and that this control Of regulation, be.
yond requiring the greatest efficiency
and economy, should not interfere
with management or operation We
believe that these bodies, If they are
to be permanent, effective and Of pub.
lie benefit, should be thoroughly rep.
resontative; they should be of such
character and should so conduct their
investigations and deliberations as to
command such respect from both the
public aud the corporations that both
will without question accept their con.
clusions.
Ne believe that the public would
IN this way get all the advantages
and avoid all the manifest disadvan.
tagcs of public ownership. J
We believe that centers OF business
and population exist for the convent.
ence Of the public as a whole and that
no such center can prosper without
and efficient means of inter.
course with other centers and tribu.
tary territories; that such means can
only be afforded by prosperous util.
ity and service companies and that
fair rates are essential to prosperous
We do not believe that any
public either desires or can obtain, nor
can any service or utility furnish, per.
and efficient service at less
than cost, including capital charges.
We believe that ultimately the public
either directly or Indirectly paws the
ltsses involved in the efforts to furnish
such service at less than its fair cost,
either through the loss of the capital
involved, the losses incident TO poor
service or the necessary ncreaso in