The Detroit times., 1913-12-30
BOSTON ASSERTS METERED
SERVICE HAS INCREASED
The COST OF TELEPHONES

companies. has metered service which
gives great satisfaction"
only three per cent OF the patrons
have expressed any dissatisfaction.
says the report. The metcrod SER
vice has lessened cost"
Philadelphia gives a rate OF S4S for
600 calls, aud s120 Tor 2.4O0 calls, for
both business and residence service.
The two-party lines, limited TO rest.
dences. give 600 calls for $50, and 500
calls for si2, with additional calls at
the rate OF five cents each There ~
also an unlimited ICSidenCe scTV1Ce OF
$50 month for single lines and S4S a
month for two-parly lines Under the
proposed Detroit rates. $50 would give
5000 calls a year or about nine day.
But Phiadelphia Of course. is used
TO all sorts OF corporate eXtortoh'
was Mayor Marks comment. Penn
sylyania citizens are so In the habit OF
being robbed thac they don't mind II
al all Tncy dor realize that there
can be any other conditions.
Seattle reports little /. any com
plain, against tho measured system.
ia most caees the subscriber figuring
That saving Inns Oeen effected. \
schedule " rates was mailed. but II
has no, vet arrived.
New York has $4,000 telephones
IN the i've boroughs Manhattan has
measured service. There Is HAT
rate in the residence sections OF some
OF the other boroughs, and in few
small restricted business districts
There Is no metered or duplicate reg
lister OF local calls, such as Baltimore
and Chicago are said 10 have; the
only record il that kept III the office
OF the telephone company This Is
the system proposed in Detroit. The
central Offices have automatic regis.
ters. such as are TO be provided here,
II the company succeeds In lnstitut-
ing measured service.
w. l. Sweet. assistant chief OF the
telephone and telegraph division 81
the public service commission OF the
state OF New York says that in 1905,
II cost $135 10 send > 400 messages,
whereas the rate Is now Sl23 Where
as 600 messages could be sent for $50
in 1905. the rate is now s4S There
are l4S,0O0 telephone stations in Man.
haitian borough.
W oNFtN NFlf idltAhAif itAl 0iin
from mentioning IRE TaCr Tf1Hr rttif-
Gems OF New York have protested
that rates are too high, and that they
ought 10 be charged no more than
viii yield fair return on the money
invested in the plant
Complaints from Detroit citizens
continue To come in. William c. An
dersOn. president or the Anderson
Electric Car Co. wrote TO the mayor
The telephone in my home. No. %
RoVena-st.. has been more matter
OF annoyance than convenience. The
phone is constantly being rung by
The central operator by mistake. The
receiver is then hung mp and prob
ably two or three minutes afterward
it is again rung with the same result.
This sometimes happens four or five
times in succession. We are con
stantly advised by my friends that
they endeavored to get our phone al
a certain time and were told that the
phone was busy or else did not an
swer"
Mr. Anderson said that he has re
peatedIy complained. but tnar tte
service is ne better.
James A. Moynes. contractor ana
builder sent TO the mayor a stack OF
correspondence which he has had
with the company. Callers have been
notified, said Mr. Moynes, thai his
phone has been taken out. though II
has not.
Wells D. Butterfeld, architect, NO
GA stevens building. calls the ser
vice rank exhibit OF inetftciency
and simply abominable and growing
worse every month