Arizona republican., 1913-08-28
MUTUAL RELATIONS AND INTERESTS
 OF THE BELL SYSTEM AND THE PUBLIC


 states questioning the purchase Of certain telephone properties in the northwest, as we'll as the pending interstate commerce commission tele- DEone investigation, have caused many inquiries Without taking up anything going to the merits of these proceedings. it has seemed to us proper to state generally what has hcen our policy and purpose in the conduct of our business.
 We have found. or thought that we lad. that our interests were best served when the public interests were best served; and we believe that such success as we have had has been because our business has been con ducted 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 com munication. The success and pros perity of our company depend upon a solution of these problems which shall be sound from both the stand point of the company and the public hich it serves.
 Following our own best judgment, supplemented by the best Obtainable advice. we have endeavored to 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 in carrying them out has been along or dinary business lines with the inn p,ied, and generally with the eX- 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. well known to the government. We will willingly furnish the govern ment any additional information which is in our possession or under cur 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 to determine whether our po- Hey is or has been inimical to the public interest. We desire that any thing wrong be corrected; We will voluntarily rectify any wrong that may be pointed out to us: and So far as it 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 independent each connecting line were put under separate control the ef- feet upon the telephone service of the country would be a condition so in tclerable that the public would refuse 10 submit to it and would immediate ly require such physical connection and common control of these various units as would amalgamate them into a single system. Physical connection in the case of telephone or telegraph does not mean transfer of messages from one line to the other. It means such a connection as will permit one person to have the actual possession of the particular line of cOmmuni- cation from one end of it to the other and this can only be given eff ficiently by exchange systems and connecting lines under common control; and that is what the Bell System is.
 In this connection, and for general information. we will restate the policy which controlled the building up of the Bell System, and our belief as to what a telephone system should be, and what are it's relations to the public
 We believe in and were the first to advocate state or government control and regulation of public utilities; that this control or regulation should be by permanent quasi judicial bodies, acting after thorough investigation and governed by the equities of each case; and that this control or regula- tion. beyond requiring the greatest efficiency and economy, should not interfere with management or opera tion. We believe that these bodies, if they are to be permanent, effective and of public benefit, should be thor oughly representative; they should be of such character and should so con duct their investigations and delib erations as to command such respect from both the public and the cor pcrations that both will without ques- ton accept their conclusions.
 We believe that the public would ir this way get all the advantages and avoid all the manifest disad- Vantages of public ownership.
 We believe that centers of business and population exist for the convent ence of the public as a whole, and that no such center can prosper with out sufficient and efficient means of intercourse with other centers and tributary 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 ob- tain, nor can any service or utility furnish, permanent and efficient ser vice at less than cost, including cap itaI charges We believe that uItim etely the public either directly or in directly naA-S the losses involved in