The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-09-17

NORTHWEST. Hs wen ds Tue IcuulHs
interstate commerce commission tel
ephone investigation, have caused
many inquiries. Without taking up
anything going to the merits OF these
proceedings, it has seemed 10 us
proper 70 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
we're best served, and we believe
that such success 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 tho
public in the proper administration
OF the problems of electrical inter.
prosperity of our company depend
upon solution of these problems
which shall be sound from both the
standpoint OF the company and the
bup'i' ~ uibp II SCI &C.
Following our own best Judgment
supplemented by the best obtainab bic
advice, we have endeavored 10 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 lu
carrying them out has been along
ordinary business lines, with the Im-
piled, aud generally with the cX.
pressed approval, authorization 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 the appearance OF
an attempt at 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 for many years have
been, we'll known to the government,
We will willingly furnish the gov
ernment any additional information
which is in our possession or under
our control, and will cordially co.
operate with it in obtaining such
further information as it may re-
quire, Every possible assistance will
be given by us TO the courts in their
effort 10 determine whether our pol
icy is or has been inimcal to the
public interest. We desire that any
thing wrong be corrected; we will
voluntarily rectify any wrong that
mny be pointed out TO us; and, so
far as il may be determined that our
policy or any act under it is against
the public interest, we will promptly
conform to such determination.
We believe that if each of our eX.
changes were made an independeet
unit, and if each connecting line
were put under a separate control,
the effect upon the telephone ser,
vice of the country would be a cop-
dition so intolerable that the public
would refuse to submit 10 il and
would Immediately require such
physical connection and common con
troll Of these various units as would
amalgamatc them into single sys-
tenn, Physical connection IN the
case of telephone or telegraph does
not mean transfer Of messages from
one line TO the other. 1t means such
connection as will permit. one per
son 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 a common control; and
that is what the Bell System is.
In this connection and for gen
eral 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
should be, and what are its rela
tions to the public.
We believe In and were the first
TO advocate state or government con
troll and regulation of public utili-
should be bv permanent uasi-iudiciul
bodies, acting after thorough investi
cation and governed by the equities
of each case; and that this control or
regulation, beyond requiring the
greatest efficiency and economy.
should not interfere with manage
ment or operation. We believe that
these bodies, if they are to be per
maneut, effective and of public ben
eft, should be thoroughly repre-
sentative; 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
VIII Nl'hphN NuCc'lpu dtttP. tutll
conclusions.
We believe that the public would
in this way get all the advantages
and avoid all the manifest disad.
vantages of public ownership.
We believe that centors of busi-
ness and population exist for the con
veuience of the public as a whole,
and that no such center can prosper
without sufficient and efficient
means of intercourse with other cen,
ters and tributary territories; that
such means can only be afforded by
prosperous utility and service compa
nies, and that fair rates are essential
10 prosperous companies, We do not
believe that any public either desires
or can obtain. nor can any service
or utility furnish, permanent and ef
ficient service at less than cost. in
cludipg capital charges. We believe |
that ultimately the public either di- |
rectly or indirectly pays the losses !
involved in the efforts to furnish |
such service at less than its fair cost. |
either through the loss OF the capital
involved. the losses incident to poor
service or the necessary increase in
charges required to pay for duplica-
tion of capital.
We believe that the highest COM
mercial value Of the telephone ser
vice dpDcnhs on IFS pomnlotenavs- |