The chronicle=news., 1913-09-03

certain telephone properties Ia TIT
northwest. ~ well ~ the p-adinx
Iutrsstsie commesee Commission tel
eph0ue Investigation. have eAused
many Inquiries withoWt taking W
anythips Eoins to tue merits OF thee
procesdeinss. Il has ssemed To Us pro-
yer TO safe geasrally what has been
our policy aud purpose II the con-
duet Of our busiaess.
We have found. or thoushmt that
We had. that our interests were btsi
SERVED when tho public INTEREST,"
we're best served: aud We believe
that such success ~ we have had
has becn b~eausr our bus,nesz has
besa conducted on thee iines.
We believe that our company has
an Interest - vital - thai of The
public In the propes Standardization
Of the problems Of electrical inter
communication. The saee~ss and
prosperity Of our eoopsay dspssd
upon . solution Of theos probless
watch shai. be souad fro0 10th the
standpoint Of the company aud the
public which Il sesves-
Following our own best judGneut.
supplemented BY the bsst obiainaala
advice. Ne hsvs sudsavoeed 10 do
what would bsst serve the public IN.
tcrcss: wherever possible our piass
have b~en disclosed In the public IN
advance. and what has been done In
eaTryiax them out has been aiosx
ordinary business liaes. with the I'm
piled. and xraaslly. With the express.
Cd approval. authorixattoa or conssat
OF the municipal and state authosi.
iic~ directly interested. Our effort
has been not only to obey the Law.
hnt 10 avoid everything which might
even have the appearance OF an At
tempt At evasion.
Our business methods and policy.
aud practically al of the details -
to the transaction Of our business.
are matters Of rommoa knowledge
and sr. and for many yeasa have been
we'll known 10 the government. We
will wiliinEiy furnish the govern.
n,rat any additional Information
which u In our possession or under
our control. and will cordially GO.
operate with Il In obtaining such
further informstion ~ u may re-
quire. Every possible assistance will
be given by Ne 10 the courts In their
effort 10 detesmins whether our pol.
Icy b or has been inimicsl to the
public interest. We desire that any
thing wrong be corrected: VIC Will
voluntarily rectify any wrong that
may he pointed out to us: and. 20
far As Il may be determined that our
policy or any act under Il u against
the public intercst. We will promptly
con form to such liberalization.
We believe that n each Of our cx-
changes were made an Independent
unit and II each connecting line were
put under . separate control. the Of
feet upon tho telephone service Of the
country would he . condition 20 in-
toierable that tho public would re-
fuse to submit to Il and would i'm
mcdiateiy require such physical con-
nectIon and common control OF these
various units a. would amalsamate
them into . single system. Physical
connection in the case Of telephone
or telegraph does not mean transfer
Of messages from one line to another
II means such = connection a. will
permit one person to have the actual
possession Of the particular line Of
communication from one end Of II
to the other and this can only he
given afficnetiy BY exchange systems
and connecting lines under 4 COM
mon control: and that Is what the
Bell System Is.
In this connection. and for general
Information. we will restate the pol
ley 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 were the first
to advocate state or government con-
troll and regulation OF public utilities
that this control or regulation
should be by permanent quasi-judi-
cial bodies. acting after thorough in
vestigation and governed by the
equities OF each case: and that this
control or regulation. beyond requir-
ing the greatest efficiency and econ
omy. should not Interfere with man
agement or operation. We believe
that these bodies. II they are to be
permanent. effective and of public
benefit should be thoroughly repre-