Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-08-20
TELEPHONE SITUATION DISCUSSED
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advance was SO small CD and with it
we received additional free territory
and night service. AS far as the
writer knows the company did not
lose one single subscriber on account
of this advance for the simple reason
that the public believed that the
advance was reasonable, and that
promises OF increased efficiency would
be fulfilled. But the deception did
not last long. We soon got a letter
from the telephone company which for
brazen contempt of public feeling is
hard to match in the business world
This letter cut the free zone territory
by one third; raised the cost Is per
cent on and above what we paid the
independent company, and closed with
an appeal that oozed with impudence,
begging the public to be patient and
give the company time to show what
it will do. Phew! What will it do if
the public is patient? Just what
have they done or tried to do? In
creased the number of toll-booths,
increased the toll-rates, given a
smaller number of subscribers to our
local centrals. decreased the free zone
territory, decreased the efficiency Of |
the service, given notice to subscribers |
on the 23d day of the month that bills
due the 2lst day of said month being
unpaid, unless paid at once, meant a
dlscontinuance of telephone services.
and attempted to compel local sub.
scribers away from home to use the
toll-booths. paying to call their own
homes. And all this in an effort,
(honest to be sure) to increase the
income. In a conversation with Man
ager Brown the writer told that
gentleman that the public did not
believe what he said relative to
Inadequate income on their invest
ment. The writer also reminded him
that reports were abroad when the
first advance in rates was made that
no further advancement would be
made. His reply was that no ssuch
:; promises were ever given and that no
guarantee would be given now that no
further advance in telephone cost to
subscribers would be made Without
saying so, the impression was rather
given that when the sore spots upon
, public feeling got little calloused,a
further advance would surely come
Manager Brown further volunteered
information that the independent
, company had been furnishing phones
for one dollar per month, and at the
same time paying six per cent divi-
dends to stockholders until the lines
were deprecated and out of repair,
, and no money in the treasury to
provide against depreciation of lines.
In competition with the New England
Telephone company the Independents
: could not raise rates on phones, hence
. they were compelled to sell out,
t leaving the buyer free to raise rates
without competition.
5 Of course the public is willing that
any corporation shall have fair re-
/ turns. The independent company had
e demonstrated that it could provide
Y phone service for one dollar per
4 month, pay all employees and pay a
( fair dividend on the investment, but
e while doing this had not been able to
e provide against depreciation. Hence
Y the public stood the first advance with
e out murmur., Let us see what the
e Is per cent advance meant. On the
Derby central there were 145 subScrib-
ers. On the Morgan central, 213.
The advance income to the company
from these centrals would be $IO74 90
per year. Possibly we are not compe-
tent judges on the cost Of maintaining
telephone line, but we feel that the
repairs were at least as promptly
: made under the Independent manage
> ment as it is today, and we feel that
WllctC CA u q piONlSiOuS dS diIlSb QGDrG
citation were necessary would be well
! provided for by the S1074 90 per
- annum. in the territory occupied by the
y two centrals now existing in Derby
Il and Morgan. This is one reason WHY
: the public feels that the oppressive
, rates and systems existing today are
=. unwarranted.
= Another reason is that the increase
IS violation of the law of supply and
y demand. Every corporation. company
> or Individual having a commodity to
. sell has right to the highest price
= that commodity will bring supplying
:. the entire demand. When the price
gets too high, the demand either
diminishes by virtue of a substitute
or remains unsatisfed.. In the present
telephone situation the demand re-
:, mains unsatisfed and the supply is
= unused. Every present subscriber is
=. suffering IN consequence in decrease
:, of the number of his fellow citizens
= using the telephone as we'll as in the
: increased cost to himself
- Furthermore, public utility like
= the telephone, if properly managed and
,, honestly supervised would maintain
= u its full quota of subscribers without a
:, corps of glib tongued professionals
= riding around the country in automo.
. bles to coerce the simple (?) country
: = folks to keep their phones in spite of
!, any advancing prices. Also there
!, u ought to be no need of a corps of
= typewriters and printers to set UP
i glowing adds tickling the fancy and
=. - vanities of duped patrons. There ought
9. to be no need of the hundreds and
: thousands of postal cards telling indie.
!. pendent fellows that they are often
. wanted on the telephone and it is
49, IT, I,,>> Il L
ruse come to us in the form of fairy
tale about the BLESSED Telephone''
r in sick room. where after a few
e rings the most sanity sick man would
IS be inclined to say, tTake that damned
n thing out
n In conclusion there seems to the
d writer but one sure and permanent