Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-03
MUTUAL RELATIONS AND INTERESTS
OF The BELL SYSTEM AND The PUBLIC


certain telephone properties in the
| Northwest, as well as the pending
| Interstate Commerce Commission
| telephone investigation. have caused
many inquiries. Without taking up
anything going to the merits of these
proceedings, : 1t has seemed to US
proper to state generally what has
been our policy and purpose in the
| conduct of our business.
We have found, OF thought that we
| had. that our interests were best
served when the public interests were
best served; and we believe that such
success as we have had has been be-
cause our business has been conduct
ed 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 intercom-
munication. The success and pros
perity of our company depend upon
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,
supplemented by the best obtainable
| advice, we have endeavored to do
what would best serve the public in
terest; wherever possible our plans
have been disclosed to the public in
advance, and what has been done In
carrying them out has been along or
| binary business lines, with the i'm
piled, and, generally, with the ex-
pressed approval, authorization 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 con-
troll. and will cordially cooperate with
1t in obtaining such further informa-
ton as it may require. Every pos
sible assistance will be given by us to
the courts in their effort to determine
whether our policy is or has been in
imical to the public interest. We de-
sire that anything wrong be cor
rected; we will voluntarily rectify any
wrong that may be pointed out to us.
and so far as it may be determined
that our policy or any act under 1t is
against the public interest, we will
promptly conform to such determine
ton.
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 eff
feet upon the telephone service of the
country would be a 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
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 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 connecti on, and for general
| information, we will restate the policy
which controlled the building up of
the Bell System, and our belief as to
what a telephone system should be.
and what are its relations to the
public.
We believe in and we're 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 permanent, effective and of pub
lie benefit should be thoroughly rep
| resentative; they should be of such
| character and should so conduct their
investigat ions and deliberations as to
command such respect from both the
public and the corporations 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 centres of business
and population exist for the conven
fence of the public as a whole. and that
no such centre can prosper without
sufficient and efficient means of inter-
course with other centres and tribu-
tary territories; that such means can
only be afforded by prosperous utility
and service companies and that fair
rates are essential to prosperous COM
panies. We do not believe that any
public either desires or can obtain, nor
can 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
losses involved in the efforts to fur
nish such service at less than its fair
cost, either through the loss of the