The Prescott daily news., 1913-10-13


 States questioning the purchase of cretain telephone properties in the northwest, as well as the pending h. terstate Commerce Commission tele- phone investigation, have caused many inquiries. Without taking up anything going to the merits of these proceedings, it has seemed to us pro per 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 serv- ed 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 pub lie 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 company and the public which it ser yes.
 Following our own best judgment, supplemented by the best obtainable advice, we have endeavored to do what would best serve the public in terest; wherever possible our plans have been disclosed to the public in advance, and what has been done in carrying them out has been along or dinary business lines, with the impli- ed, and generally, with the expressed approval, authorization or consent of the municipal 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 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 have for many years have been, well known to the government. We will willingly furnish the govern ment any additional information whic is in our possession or under our con- trol, and will cordially cooperate with it in obtaining such further in formation as it may require. Every possible assistance will be given by us to the courts in their efforts to de- termine 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 deter mined that our policy or any act un- der it is against the public interest, we will promptly conform to such de- termination.
 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 ef- feet upon a telephone service of the country would be a condition so in- tolerable that the public would re- fuse to submit to it and immediately require such physical connection and common control of these various un- its as would amalgamate them into a single syste m. Physical connec- tion in the case of telephone or te- legraph 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 ac- tual possession of the particular line of communication from one end of it to the other and this can only be given efficiently by exchange sys- tems and connecting lines under a common control and that is what the Bell System is.
 In this connection, and for gener- al information, we will restate the policy which controlled the building up of the Bell System, and our be- lief as to what a telephone system