The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1913-12-30
SAYS TELEPHONE
IS STILL LUXURY
Representative Lewis Gives Table Of
Figures Showing Rate Reductions
In "Postalized" Countries
USED ONLY BY WELL-TO- DO
Comments on Fact That Nearly
Every Foreign Nation Has Cheap
er Service Than United States

From Congressman c. H. Tavenner.
Washington, December 30.-In
his able analysis of the telephone
monopoly of this country and the eff
feet lit has had in keeping rates SO
high, that in the language of a re-
port of the Bell system itself, the
confession is made that the tele-
phone is still luxury" and a econ
venience" rather than public nee
cessity. Representative David J.
Lewis of Maryland, gave some strik-
ing tables of figures showing the
greatly reduced rates and the in
creased public use of the telephone
after it had become "postalized" in
various foreign countries. ... r
Only a few of these figures are
necessary to show that America is
far behind the foreign nations in Ia
king full public advantage of the
great invention of the telephone. Mr.
Lewis declared that if the phone
were in greater use, the American
rates would not be tolerated for an
instant. 1t is only because the
comparatively well-to-do- have the
telephone that the cutlery against
the private monopoly is not greater.
But here are some figures. In
Sweden subscriber to a government
phone pays an average of $.0O5 for
each local call. In the United States
the average is $.O24. The American
local phone call rate is five per cent
higher than the American letter
rate. In Sweden where letters are
sent for about 1-2 cents each, the
letter rate is over four times the
phone rate The United States ranks
14th in the expense of telephone SER
vice. Phone service is cheaper in
practically every country in Europe.
Among Is countries which have
long distance telephone. service, the
United States ranks 18th in point
of expense to patrons. The average
charge for long distance call in the
r United States is 10 cents. In Ger
many it is three cents. In Great Bri-
tain it is IL cents
A better comparison is in point of
distances over which phone messages
are sent. In the United States the
Bell company charges an average of
60 cents to telephone for 100 miles,
$3.50 for 800 miles, $500 for 500
miles and 1920 for 700 miles. Com
pare these with the Swedish rates
Of eight cents for 100 miles, 10 cents
for 800 miles, 20 cents for 500 miles,
and "a cents for 700 miles. Long
distance tolls in the United States,
where private corporations own the
lines, are far heavier than in any
foreign land where the phones are
part of the post office system.
In Christiana it costs a telephone
subscriber flat rate of $21.44
year for a phone. In Tokyo, Japan,
this charge is $34 and it is S34.O9
on the average in Auckland, New
Zealand. In New York, with SER
vice limited to $1,000 calls per year,
the annual flat rate charge is $22S,
in San Francisco (unlimited) $3.50,
in Washington. $16S; in Boston.
$125. ...-.
On the flat rate basis it costs a
subscriber to the Swiss telephone an
average of SOLOS per call for 49,
5000 calls; Sidney, Australia, for
10000 calls, an average of $00S6.
per call; in Vienna, sol; in Paris,
SCOTT. Compare this with the New
York average of four cents per call
for 10000 calls; San Francisco,
$.0265; Cincinnati, $685.; and Bos-
ton, $.033.
The effect on the increased use
of the phone is apparent In Dem
mark there is an average of 761
long distance conversations per
phone instrument each year; in the
Netherlands this average is 634;
each German phone instrument is
used 301 times per year for long dis
lance; while in the United States,
which stands 18th in the list, the
average is but 4S long distance calls.