Imperial Valley press., 1913-09-25

suffiicnt and efficient means of inter
course with other centers and trib-
utary territories; that such means
can only be afforded by prosperous
utility and service companies and that
fair rates are essential to prosperous
companies We do not believe that any
public either desires or can obtain,
nor can any service utility furnish,
permanent 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 fur
nish such service at less than fair
cost, either through loss Of the capital
involved, the losses incident to poor
service or the necessary increase in
charges required to pay for duplica-
ton of capital.
We believe that the highest COM
mercial value Of the telephone service
depends on its comprehension the
extent and comprehensiveness Of the
facilities for intercommunication, not
only between individuals but between
centers of population; that no isolated
section can be considered independent
of any other section or of the whole;
that rates must be SO adjusted as to
make it possible to obtain the max
imum development by making it pos
sible for every one to be connected
who will add to the value of the sys-
TEN, thus giving the greatest value
to the greatest number; that the in
dependence of the telephone service
and the value Of complete and uni
versal intercommunication justify and
require some services partly at the
expense of the whole for the benefit
Of the whole.
We believe that this highest COM
mercial value can only be attained by
one system under one common con-
troll and that it cannot be given by
independent systems unless they are
operated under agreements which re-
suit in one common control and one
common interest, in effect making
them a single system.
We believe that rates should be so
adjusted as to afford the company
sufficient revenue to pay such wages
and compensation as will secure the
most efficient service; to maintain the
very highest and most advanced stan
dards of plants and apparatus, to
carry on such scientific and expert
mental research and inventions as to
apparatus and methods as to insure
the highest standards, and to carry to
reserve and depreciation such amounts
as will enable the company at any
time to replace old plants and old
methods with new plants and new
methods as fast as they are developed
and found to be to the advantage to
the service. We believe that in addi-
ton, such fair charges should be paid
upon the investment in plant as will
enable the company at any time to OBJ
tain money necessary to provide the
plant required to meet the continuing
demands of the public; and in order
that waste and duplication of effort
may be avoided and uniformity Of
purpose and common control be en-
forced, that there should be a CEN
tralized general administration in
close communication with and having
general authority over the whole on
matters common to all or matters of
general policy.
We believe that any surplus beyond
that necessary to equahze dividends
on fair basis should be used by the
company for the benefit Of the public
and should be inalienable for any
other purpose, and should be either
invested in revenue earning plant un-
~ hoNVo<o"Ay w ouOotaIAIC PbouI Wi11Cu
may become inadequate or obsolete,
or should be used to make the service
cheaper or better.
eW believe that under proper gov
ernmental control and regulation the
profits from promotion or operation
allowed to be distributed should not
be so large as to warrant or tempt
complete duplication of plant and or
ganization, with its duplication Of its
capital charges and its organization,
operating, maintaining and deprecia-
tion expenses; and we do not believe
that utilities giving at fair rates an
efficient and sufficiently comprehensive
universal service should be subject to
limited competition, not giving such
service. Competition which ignores
the obligation to furnish a complete
and comprehensive service is not COM
petition, it is not for the benefit Of
the public in that it does not reach
the whole public interested.
If, therefore complete duplication.
with its dual exchange connection and
dual bills for service, is a prerequisite
to complete competition, government
control and regulation cannot 20 hand
in hand with competition.