The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1913-08-27

telephone investigation, have caus-
ed 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 best served; and we believe
that such success 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-
communication. The success and
prosperity of our company depend
upon a solution of these problems
which shall be sound from both
the standpoint of the company and
the public which it serves.
Following our own best judg-
ment, supplemented by the best OBJ
tainable advice, We have endeavor-
ed to do what would best serve the
public interest; wherever posi-
BILE 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 general
ly, with the expressed approval ,au-
thorization or consent of the mu-
nicipal and State authorities di-
rectly 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, we'll known to the government
We will willingly furnish the gov
eminent any additional Information
which is in our possession or under
our control, and will cordially CO.
operate with it in obtaining such
further information as it may re-
quire. Every possible assistance
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 de-
termined that our policy or any
act under it is against the public
interest, we will promptly conform
to such determination.
We believe that if each of our
exchanges were made an indepen-
dent unit and if each connecting
line were put under separate con-
troll, the effect upon the tele-
phone service of the country would
be condition SO 1ntolerable that
the public would refuse to submit
to it and would Immediately require
such physical connection and COM
mon control of the various units as
would amalgamate them into a
single system Physical connection
in the case of telephone or tele-
graph does not mean transfer of
messages from one line to the other.
1t means such a connection as will
permit one person to have the &C
tual possession of the particular
line of communication from one
end of it to the other and this can
only be given efficiently by ex-
change systems and connecting
lines under a common control and
that what the Bell System is.
In this connection, and for gen.
eral information, we will restate
building up of the Bell System, land
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 regu-
lation should be by permanent
quasi-judicial bodies, acting after
thorough investigation and gov
erned by the equities of each case;
and that this control or regulation,
beyond requiring the greatest eff
cheney and economy, should not
interfere with management or OPP
Grafton. We believe that these
bodies, if they are to be permanent.
effective and of public benefit,
should be thoroughly representa-
tive; they should be of such char
acter and should SO conduct their
Investigations 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 disadvan-
tages of public ownership.
We believe that centers of bust
ness and population exist for the
convenience of the public as a
whole, and that no such center can
prosper without sufficient and eff
ficient means of intercourse with
other centers and tributary terri
tories; that such means can only
be afforded by prosperous utility
and service companies and that
fair rates are essential to pros
porous companies. We do not be-
lieve that any public either desires
or can obtain, nor can any service
or utility furnish, permanent and