The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1913-09-10
MUTUAL RELATIONS AND INTERESTS
OF THE BELL SYSTEM AND THE PUBLIC

The suit brought by the United states
questioning the purchase of certai-. tel
ephone properties in the northwest.
well as the pending Interstate Com
merce Commission telephone investisa-
ton. have caused many inquiries With
out taking up anything going 10 the
merits of these proceedings, 1T has
seemed to us proper to state general
ly what has been our policy and pur-
pose in the conduct of our business.
We have found. or thought that we
had, that our interests were pest served
when the public interests were best
served and we believe that such sue
cess 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 ii serves.
Following our own best Judgment
supplemented by the best obtainable
advice we have endeavored 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 In carrying them
out 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
frvne he raw Of r,
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 government
any additional information which is in
our possession or under our control,
and Will cordially cooperate with IT in
obtaining such further information as
it may require. Every possible assist
ance will be given by to the courts
in their effort to determine whether
our policy is or has been inimfcal 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
icy or any act under 1t is against the
public interest, we VIII promptly CON
f. IN 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 &c
submit to 1t and would Immediately
require such physical connection ano
common control OF these various units
as would amalgamate them into a
single system. Physical connection IL
the case of telephone or telegraph does
not mean transfer OF messages from
one line to the other 1t means suci
a connection as will permit one person
to have the actual possession of tn,
particular line of communication from
one end of 1t TO the other and this car
only be given efficiently by exchang,
systems and connecting lines under
common control; and that is what tn,
Bell System is.
In this connection, and for genera
information, We will restate the polio.
which controlled the building up o.
the Bell System, and our belief a t
what a telephone system should be, an,
what its relations to the public.
We believe in and were the first t
advocate state or government contro
and regulation of public utilities: tina
this control or regulation should be b,
permanen quasi-judicial bodies. act
ing after thorough investigation an
governed by the equities of each case
and that this control regulation, be
yond inquiring the greatest eff1cfenc
and aconomy, should not interfere wit
management operation. We believ
that these bodies, IL they are to be per
manent, effective and of public bene
At. should be thoroughly representative
they should be OF such character an
should so conduct their investigation
and deliberations as to command sue
respect from both the public and tn
corporations that both will withou
question accept their conclusions.
We believe that the public would +
this way get all the advantages an
avoid all the manifest dissdvantag e
of public ownership.
We believe that centers of bushes
and population exist for the conven
ence of the public as a whole and tn,
such center can prosper withot
sufficient and efficient means of inte
couse with other centers and tribl
tRry territories; that such means ca
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