Norwich bulletin., 1913-08-28

l west, as we'll as the pending Interstate Commerce Commission telephone in 1 restigation, have caused many inquir- ies. Without taking up anything go- ing to the merits of these proceedings. 1 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 sue cess as we have had has been because our business has been conducted on these lines.
 l We believe that our company has an interest as vital as. that of the public in the proper administration of the problem lof electrical inter -communf- cation The success and prosperity of 1 our company depend upon a solution of these problems which shall be sound 1 from both the standpoint of the com | pany and the public which it serves. ] Following our own best judgment, supplemented by the best obtainable [ 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, autheri- zatien or consent of the municipal and state authorities directly interested. Cur effort has been net only to obey the law, but to avoid everything which might e=en have the appearance of an I attempt at evasion.
 l 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 hhve 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 will be given by us to the courts | in their effort to determine whether our policy is or has been inimAal to the public interest. We desire that i 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 d separate control, the eff feet upon the telephone service of the country would be afcondition so intol- erable 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 a single system. Physical connection in | the case of telephone or telegraph does not mean transfer of messages from one line to the other. It means such a connection as will permit one person to have the actual possession of the particular line of communication from one end of it to the other and this can
 
 1 only be given efficiently by exchange systems and connecting lines under a common control and that is what the Bell System is.
 1 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 1 what telephone system should be, and what are it's 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 i 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 trey 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 l investigations and deliberations as to 1 command such respect from both the public and the corporations that both l will without question accept their con- clusions
 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 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 car only be afforded by prosperous util- ity and service companies and that companies. We do not believe that any public either desires or can obtain, no1 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 furnish such service at less than it's fair cost
 either through the loss of the capita involved, the losses incident to poo1
 service or the necessary increase fl charges required to pay for dupIica- ton of capital.
 We believe that the i1fgnoSt comn4er. cial value of the telephone service de | f41 <4 sssass,ss f1.a