The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-01

the entire plant. It is absurd, fol
these executive officials Of our com
pany arc merely trustees of the prop
erty, for the stockholders, and none
of them arc rich men, nor have they
n very heavy holding Of the stock il
is truo that certain reputed rich men
have large holdings of the stock of our
mPany-some of them being on our
Board of Directors-but not one of
them has made any money Whatsoever
| out OF dealing In our stock. They have
| all paid dollar for dollar, in cash at
| par, INTO the treasury OF our company.
| for every share they hold, and they
have simply come into our company
because they believed it to be safe
| investment
There is: too, upon the part Of the
| public, belief that the company is
largely engaged in politics. We mag
me this feeling is caused b.. the fact
| That In the past, simply from the
standpoint OF self representation, certain
corporations were almost compelled
to be in politics; but in these days,
when the tendency is TO place all cor.
porations and trust affairs into the
hands of central body, such as the
Interstate Commerce Commission and
local state commissions, etc, to deal
with the conduct of businesses such as
ours, being IN politics, as believed by
the public, would be foolish thing
and entirely unnecessary. This is
therefore, to state emphatically that
we are not, either directly or indirect.
ly, in politics. in any way, shape or
manner. and shall not be,
We are going to attempt to give
you the entire story as to our rates
We have been told, when stating 10
some of the public that we proposed
starting campaign like this, that our
efforts would be futile; that our sub.
scrlbers would turn out to be selfish
and only look toward the end OF get
ting as cheap telephone rates as pos
sihle. We do not believe this. We
believe that the great majority of the
public are inclined TO be fair, and that
1T is not so much the question of what
our telephone rates are as it is that
wben we make a statement regard.
ing them, and show our true fnancinp.
that we shall be honest, and that the
public shall know that we are honest
That when we make statement as
to our profits and earnings, SHOWING
gust where the dollar that our SUBJ
scrlber pays us goes, the public NAV
know that we are not trying to de-
'.lNo mem " hSeD dnyInlDS pack that
should be shown. When we honestly
do this and our position seems to be
Just and right, we believe that the fair
ness Of the public will sustain us.
We are going to set forth the in
herent difficulties of giving universal
telephone service. These articles and
letters are not to be piece of spe. |
cial pleading or adroit use of words. |
but a clear, business.like setting forth |
of facts. We hopo, before We got
through, both ourselves and the public |
will understand each other better
There is at least no harm to be done |
in trying to accomplish this desired !
result.
1t is our aim to oducate. please and
satisfy the public and to be educated
ourselves. II seems TO us that every
corporation has tho right Of self
defense, the same rs an individual
The public has the same right. Listen
% our defense and we will listen To
yours. No problem has ever been
larder for us than Just how we we're
going to let the public know truly
about us. but we believe that no prob.
EN- was ever more important TO bofb
4 we really can make you feel that
7ou are a partner in our business, we