The Detroit times., 1913-12-27
Mayor Marx And Aid. Lodge
Hold Conference With En-
gineer Chas. l.. Zahn
BEMIS MAY BE CHOSEN
TO REPRESENT CITY
Complaints From Subscribers of
The Poor Service Continue
TO Pour In To Marx

hetI, had session, Friday morning
With Mayor Marx aud Aid lodge
chairman or the telephone. 1nvestiga.
lion committee Mr. Zahp. who has
done considerable work tor the in.
dependent telephone company in To
ledo VAS invited to confer with the
officials. who are looking for someone
TO employ as an expert The con
Versation that went on was not made
public.
We must certainly ind an expert
who is not tied up TO the telephone
company said Aid, Lodge The
Sreat danger is that the company
which Is always on the alert and has
It's agents everywhere, viii try to
control our expert In one way or an
other There are SO many ways in
which such a thing can be done-not
through actual control, perhaps. but
through various kinds OF pressure
--4Ald.-Lodge admitted that T. AZ
Bemis, who has national reputation
as an expert, has been considered.
lie said that there would be no hurry
IN the choice OF man. Corporation
Counsel lawson is out OF the city
and may not return before the first
OF the year. and no action viii be
taken without his consent
State Rep. Bill" Martz complains
that he introduced bill I'm the last
session OF the legislature giving each.
city the right TO regulate its own tele-
phone service. but thai Il was de.
feated through the efforts OF Rep.
Copley
We investigated for three months,
he said We found that the com
pany was paying its girl operators as
iow as Sl2 month III the upper pen
insula, and that IN Lansing was
paying from Slf-to 500, We found
that 10 years ago a message between
lansing and Detroit cost % cents.
Now il costs 50 cents The company
reduced rates on number OF long
distance lines as soon as we began
TO investigate. and boosted them
again as soon as We were through
Mayor Marx is peeved over the ac-
tion of the Detroit Board OF Commerce
in extending 10 the state railroad com
mission an invitation TO hold the pub
lie hearings on the telephone matter
in the Board OF Commerce building
The mayor thinks that as the hearings
viii be OF deep interest 10 every citi-
zen OF Detroit. they ought TO be held
IN the city hall, where the public OF
tices are always open and accessible
TO everybody.
Edward T. Fitzgerald, the mayors
secretary, talked 10 I.awton T. He-
mans, chairman OF the commission,
over the telephone. Christmas eve He
informed Mr.. Hemans that il was the
wish OF the mayor TO have the hearings
held ia the city hall, either in the coun-
ell chamber or The executive Office.
Commissioner Hemans said he would
De glad 10 take the matter up with the
mayor. and assured Secretary FitZger-
aid that the commission was willing TO
mold the hearings IN any place that
might be selected.
Thus far the telephone affair has
been handled entirely by the mayor
and the aldermen, with the assistance
OF the corporation counsel. The may
or intimated THAI ne does not propose
TO have the commission invited
away from the CRY hall. II he can help
il.
The city hall 4. the logical place TO
hold such hearings. said the mayor
II knew nothing about the invitation
extended The commission By the Board
OF Commerce until ! read about it IL
the newspapers.
The mayor and some OF the Board
OF Commerce members have FLASHED
before ON other matters. and he has
determined 10 go TO the mat with
the board on the telephone investiga-
ton In other words the mayor feels
that the board is "butting-in' on his
work.
Edwin J. Mercer. attorney, No. els
Dime Bank building, writes Mayor
Marx that he has made personal IN
vestigation OF the telephone situation
in Detroit following the petition OF
the company TO install measured SET
vice, aud that he finds the service on
business telephones quite satisfactory
1.-THE complaint is over the poor res
idence telephone service, he said
This Is due TO thu long conversations
that clog up the lines and not TO the
frequency OF calls. think that mea
sured service woulG react unfavorably
on local business interests.
Charles X. Talbot assistant cashier
OF the National Bank OF Commerce
asks the mayor n the telephone com
pany has a perpetual right or franShtse
in Detroit
4, IF not. when may We expect TO
have telephone service worthy OF the
name" he asks. lie enclosed a copy
OF a communication he sent TO General
Manager Won Scnlegel concerning dif-
hculty he lad in attempting TO make
telephone call On Dec. %. at I
O'Clock In HE evening
III metefed out service would be
better than our present petered out
service. in the name OF humanity LET 5
try IT," SAYS MIR Talbot in closing his
letter
F.. c. Gilbert assistant secretary OF
the Timken-Detgoit Axle company.
sends the mayor copies OF correspon-
dence he had with the telephone com
pany and l.awton r. Hemans. chair
man OF tho state railroad commission,
relative 10 the poor service MIR. Gil
bert advises the teiepnene company to
use the energy :. is exerting 10 Sc
cure mea xnred service, 10 improve the
present service lie states that the
sole.)obiec ~ the telephone company
IN fighting Tor ine,ercd service Is TO
Increase IT. revenues Also. Mr.. iGl-
bert wants 10 know by what right the
telephone company c'naTacteriZes me
conversation over its wires a. 1.-TWO
;ous" or otherwise
He says he speaks sdvisedly when