The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1913-09-04


northwest. as well as the pending In
terstate Commerce Commission tele-
phone Investigation, have caused
many inquiries. without taking up
anything going to the merits of these
proceedings. 1t has seemed to US prop
err to state generally what has been
our policy and purpose In the conduct
of our business.
We have found, or thought that we
had, 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 be-
cause 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-com
munication The success and pros
perity of our company depend upon a
solution of these problems which shall
be sound from both the standpoint of
the company and the public which 1t
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
binary business lines. with the TN
piled, and generally, with the ex
pressed approval, authorization OF
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 te
| the transaction of our business. are
matters of common knowledge and
are, and for many years have been
we'll known to the government. Ws
| will willingly furnish the government
any additional information which Is
in our possession or under our con-
troll, and will cordially cooperate
with it in obtaining such further in
formation as 1T may require. Every
possible assistance will be given by
| us to the courts in their effort tc
determine whether our policy is OF
has been inimical to the public in
terest. We desire that anything
wrong be corrected; we will volun-
tarily rectify any wrong that may be
pointed out to US; and. so far as II
may be determined that our policy OF
any act under it Is against the public
interest, we will promptly conform
| to such determination.
| We believe that IL 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 ths
country would be condition so In
tolerable that the public would refuse
to submit to it and would immediate
| ly require such physical connection
and common control of these various
| units as would amalgamate them into
single system. Physical connection
in the case of telephone or telegraph
does not mean transfer of messages
from one line to the other. 1t means
such a connection as will permit one
| % ho,
of the particular line of communica.
ton from one end of 1t to the other
and this can only be given efficiently
by exchange systems and connecting
lines under a common control; and
that Is what the Bell System Is.
| In this connection, and for gen.
eral 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 relation 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-
ton, beyond requiring the greatest
efficiency and economy, should not in
| terfere with management or opera
ton. We believe that these bodies, II
they are to be permanent, effective
4 and Of public benefit, should be thor.
oughly representative; they should BE-
of such character and should SO con.
duct their Investigations and DELHI
erations as to command such respec,
from both the public and the corpora
!! lions that both will without question
/ accept their conclusions.
We believe that the public woult
in this way gets all the advantage.
and avoid all the manifest disadvan.
tages of public ownership.
We believe that centers of business
and population exist for the convent,
ence OF the public as whole, and
that no such center can prosper with
out sufficient and efficient means o,
/ intercourse with other centers AND
tributary territories; that such means
can only be afforded by prosperous
utility and service companies and tina,
fair rates are essential to prosperou:
companies. We do not believe thai
any public either desires or can OBJ.