The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-08-20

west, as well as the pending Interstate
Commerce Commission telephone in
vestigation, have caused many inquir
les. Without taking up anything goinl
to the merits of these proceedings, il
has seemed to us proper to state gen
orally what has been our policy anc
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 company has an
interest as vital as that of the public
in the proper administration of the
problems of electrical inter commune
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-
cation or consent of the municipal and
state 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 win 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 a separate control, the effect
upon the telephone service of the coun-
try 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 these various units as would
amalgamate them into single system.
Physical connection in the case of tele
phone or telegraph does not mean
transfer of messages from one line to-
the other. 1t means such 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 systems and con-
Meeting 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 belief as to what
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 regulation of public utilities; that
this control or regulation should be by
permanent quasi judicial bodies, act !
ing after thorough investigation and
governed by the equities of each case; |
and that this control or 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 per-
manent, effective and of public benefit,
should be thoroughly representative; |
they should be of such character and /
should so conduct their Investigations
and deliberations as to command such /
respect from both the public and the !
spect from both the public and the
that both will without /
question accept their conclusions.
We believe that the public would in
this way get all the advantages and
avoid all the manifest disadvantages
of public ownership.
We believe that eenters of business
and population exist for the convent
ence of the public as a whole, and that
no such center can prosper without
sufficient and efficient means of inter
course with other centers and tribu-
tary territories; that such means can
only be afforded by prosperous Utility
and service companies and that falr
rates are essential to prosperous COM
panies. We do not believe that any
public either desires or can obtain, nor
,an any service or utility furnish, per-
manent and efficient service at less
than cost, including capital charges.
We believe that ultimately the public
either directly or indirectly pays the
osses 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 increase in
,harges required to pay for duplica-
ion of capital.
We believe that the highest COM
nercial value of the telephone service
depends on its completeness the !
..-tont and nnmnrahan sinnnass of the 1