The Cairo bulletin., 1913-08-28

Interstate Commerce Commission
telephone investigation. 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 interests were best
served when the public interests
were hest served; and we believe
that such success as we have had
I. 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. ia tbs proper administra-
ttoa of me problems 81 electrieal
ater-comP6 plcauou Tho success
ad Prosperity 81 our company do
luend upon "a solution Of these prob
/ TENS nbich SHAH De sound from both
"a, standpoint ol she company and
| Pa, public wai.b it serves
Following our own best Judgment,
supplemented oy tie best ohtainablo
ladyice. we have endeayorei TO DO
what would best serve tile public ir-
| terest wherever possible our plans
nave been disclosed 10 the public
/ Ia advance, and what has been done
.n carrying ,hem ont has been along
/ oriinary business fines, with he i'm
! piled and generally wtth the ex
pressed upproeal authorization or
coDseu Of the municipal! and state
authorities directly Interested Oar
ie8or, mas been moi oHlt 10 obey the
l'aw, but % avoid everything which
lm SHIT 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, we'll known to the govern
ment. We will willingly furnish
the government any additional in
| formation which is in our possess
sion or under our control. and will
Icordially cooperate with 1t in OBJ
tanning such further information as
1T may require, Every possible as
distance will be given by us to the
courts in their efforts TO determine
whether our policy is or has been in
| imical to the public interest. We
desire that anything wrong be cor
| rected; VIC will voluntarily rectify
any wrong that may be pointed out
to US; and, so far as it may be de-
+ormincd that our policy or any act
under it is against the public inter-
st we will promptly conform to
such determination.
| We believe that if each of our ex-
| hanges were made an independent
unit and If each connecting line
were put under a separate control
the effect upon the telephone service
of the country would be a condition
so intolerable that the public would
refuse to submit to it and would
Immediately require such physical
connection and common control of
those various units as would amalga-
mate them into a single system.
| Physical connection in the case of
telephone or telegraph does not
Imean transfer of messages from one
| line to the other. 1t means such a
| connection as will permit one person
/ to have the actual possession of the
particular line of communication
from one end of 1t to the other and
this can only be given efficiently by
Exchange system and connecting
Ilines under common control; and
| tlat iH what the Rell System is.
| II this connection. and for gem
eral information. we will restate
the policy which controlled the
BUILDING MP Of the Bell System, and
orr belief as TO what a telephone
system should he and what are its
relations to the public.
We believe in and were the first
70 advocate state or government con-
troll and regulation Of public utili-
ties; that this control or regulation
should be by permanent quasi-judic-
al bodies, acting after thorough in
vestigation and governed by the
equities Of each case; and that this
control or regulation, beyond re-
Touring the greatest efficiency and
economy, should not interfere with
managemeut or oneration. We be-
lieve that these bodies, il they are
70 he permanent, effective and Of
pNhlia benefit. should be thoroughly
preventative; they should be of
such character and should so con-
duct their investigations and DELHI
erations as to command such re-
spect from both the public and the
| corporations that both will without
Question accept their conclusions.