The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-12-18
0eribers Can See Nothing In
6tored Service But Plain At
! tempt to "Gouge" Them
IN For More Money
TO
BE Ov6RCAPITALIZED
~ Ont Competitors and Now
wants Dividends on Inflated
Valuation, It's Claimed

Publication Of it, proposed system
Takee Tor mstered service. by the
1nh1gAn state Telephone Co.. has
l1Gsd . howl to 60 up from tele-
loao users Of Detroit compared to
Nh the uproar at Babel was a
honpee.
Hyegycne who IL still familiar with
= multiplication table was engaged,
0onsoday. In figuring what he would
~ 70 pay for telephone service
ors the new rate, and the result
that nearly everyone came to the
(aluoio0 that he would have to pay
GlGorSbly more than his present
= O. would have to make q great
- - the number Of calls to which
~ accustomed.
IN announcement OF the proposed
haS brought the municipal
4SNhtp problem to the fore again.
~ city could install fair plant
! &, 900 900, and could practically
8ote the Michigan State Co.'S
II n the city for $4,000. 000." said
4 kng1neer who has some familiar
zVl1h the company's plant.
III trouble. with the company Is
70 avoid competition, IL had to
~ Peoples Telephone Co.. the
~ Telephone Co., and the Home
Hone Co. All these operations
~ TO the investment here, but
116d the company with q great
~ duplicate equipment that was
- % e. The figure on which the
S06uy wants to base It's earnings
= 49, 900 or $4.0O0.000 In excess
U1n& Il ought to be, on that ac-
kekur Won Schlegell. general man.
k the company. said. Wednes-
Nat the plant in Detroit Is worth
~ "a. 0o0, 900.
1avU no doubt that II the city
0M attempt to build plant of It's
uftor adopting the new charter"
ongtneer continued, the tele-
n& company would agree to trans
Ing distance messages. The
not being saddled with big
could AFFORD to grant rates that
HI drive the telephone company
~ busineos. and the only mes
- 4 could handle from Detroit
~ ~ the l6ng-distAnce trafnc."
r1Ivon 6chlesell declares that the
knpy hao no desire to sell it,
nt ~ the city, or to do anything
&0nt1Bue In business, giving the
tSjce Il can.
sA&Il welcome an investigation
11ageGted, competent experts."
ANY experts who are &C
- To the city and to the Board
n1nerco and similar organiza-
&U1u - acceptable to u. Pro
M ~ added, they are compe-
- cur judgment"
rm11 you ~ satisned with ex-
ri 1omod ~ . man like Mortimer
)ov. q the University Of Michi-
u ~ Ma asked.
W Cooley has been suggested a.
4DuR man to assist the city In
0 b board q experts.
INK W would be-, though !
keow Prof. Cooley said Mr..
1GGal manager believes that
NJ tariffs will cause users Of
nv lines TO change TO two
u individual lines. This will
II The installation of about TO-.
80 circuits. The registering de-
14 the various stations, will
6ogt considerable. These de-
- %or1 worked by the operators.
VIII prossSa button, registering
oM, - soon ~ they and that the
~ beeu answered and q con-
of1oa - going on.
- only trouble Will be-" he said,
Ne operator may sometimes for.
q prsss the button and register
~ked Why An improvement cannot
na4o b. enforcing the limited
1c11<party line contracts now In
co1eoy he said:
these contracts call for limit OF
cans . day. incoming and out
II. We relied . good deal on the
Doe1 q DUR subscribers, hoping
they would take care not to ex.
9 tho limit. But they did not ac-
ne contract In such a spirit.
! We found that we could not en-
~ & without trouble. II we should
0o telephone out Of business AT.
;1ou1 calls, one 0f our unlimited
- SQbocribers might demand the
1DoGs md Be much put out when
WAs told that he could not get II.
pul1 not be fair to the rest of
SoGry1ce. Wherever 1t has been
-, e has been made the subject
<t ooundleos complaint. Under the
rAtoo. our f0ur.party subscribers,
Doot o. them. will become two
- individual line subscribers. -
y. WEIGH, commercial superin-
mt pointed out that II the four
" uno user, under the new sys-
- I've Oents q call. has more
0 80 calls = year. 1t will pay him
ctnIl = twoparty line; and II the
MY l1ne user has more than
oo1Io rear. II will be cheaper
~ - have IN individual line.
he troubls 10 that the present
Go1ty une user, who has been &C.
nup1 - unlimited service, will
DoIy ~ content with only four
- e6foo 6Ays, which II all he
~ Uoooe the mes tariff, for his
~ re q ~. Neither will the
ny. uno uoor, 'Nho now pays
= Vdor, ~ pafloNed with eight
~ 0ToU 1ayo. And the user of
49, Ire. - ~ . rear. insists
pc11eooo vtll certainly 70