The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-09-10
MUTUAL RELATIONS AND INTERESTS
OF THE BELL SYSTEM AND The PUBLIC


Nestigations have caused many inquir-
les. Without taking up anything 90
ing to the merits of these proceedings
II has seemed to MS 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.
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-communi-
cation. The success and prosperity. of
our company depend upon a 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 cndcayored 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 i'm carving them
ont has been along ordinary business
lines, with the implied, and generally
with the expressed approval, authori-
Zation 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 thr appearance of an
attempt at evasion.
Our business methods and policy.
and practically all of the details rs 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
VIII willingly furnish the government
any additional information which is in
our possession or under our control,
and viii cordially cooperate with it i'm
obtaining such further information as
it may require. Every possible assist
aucc 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 reetify 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 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 Il
single system Physical connection in
the ease Of telephone or telegraph does
not mean transfer Of messages from
one line to the other. 1t means such
connection rs 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
only be given efficiently by exchange
systems and connecting lines under
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 70
advocate state or government control
and regulation of public utilities; that
this control or regulation should he hv
permanent quasiGudicial bodies, act
ing after thorough investigation and
governed by the equities of each case;
and that this control or regulation. be
You'd requiring the greatest efficiency
aud economy, should not interfere
with management or operation We
believe that these bodies, if they arc
to bc permanent, effective and of pub
lie benefit, should be thoroughly rep
rescntative; 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 corporations that both
WIN without question accept their con
illusions.
We believe that the public would
in this way get all the advantages
and avoid all the manifest disadvan-
tagcs of public ownership.
We believe that centers of business
ana population exist for the convent
encc of the public as a whole, and that
no Such center can prosper without
sufficient and efficient means of inter
course with other centcrs and trim
tary territories; that such means can
only bc afforded by prosperous utiI
ity and service companies and that
falr rates are essential to prosperous
companies. We do not believe that any
public either desires or can obtain. nor
can any service or utility furnish. nor
mancnt and efficient service a+ loss
than cost, including capital CHARGES
We believe that ultimately the pubIic
either directly or Indirectly paws tbo
losses involved in the efforts to furnish
such service mt less than its fair cost
either through the loss of the capitai
involved, the losses incident to poor
service of the necessary increase in
charges required to pay for duplica
ton of capital
We believe that the highest CONNER
cial value of the telephone service de
Ponds on its completeness the OK.
tent and comprehensiveness of the FL
cillties for ntercommunication. not