Evening journal., 1914-03-07
SATURDAY. MAR. 7. 1914.
AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN TELEPHONY.

A DvOCATES and opponents Of the government
n ownership and operation Of the telephone lines
In this country continue plead their before
Congressman and the American people. AS both
sides brought out the public is obtaining more
comprehensive grasp OF the questions involved For
the purpose Of assisting in that work Of illumination
have published from time to time. editorial and
articles bearing upon both sides OF what is
rapidly becoming bitter controversy every phase Of
which should be understood view Of the great in
terests at stake
We have received from the opponents OF the gov
ernment ownership plan interesting argument
which we think every who the telephone
should read with an open mind It Is pointed out by
those opponents that in every discussion which is pre-
eipitated the subject of ownership Of
the telephone lines the advocates of such course are
accustomed to that the charges for service in
this country higher than those made by many for
eign governments which now operate the national
telephone systems and which furnish a supposedly
satisfactory grade service In reply it is asserted
that comprehensive study Of the average rates for
such service IN the United States England France
Germany and other European countries develops this
10 be the fact AS has been pointed out by numerous
Investigators. the esmaed cost of telephone service
per to the average subscriber in the United
is s32. AS against this figure 1t is found that the
average costs in European countries. based on the
latest official reports and taking into consideration
the relative purchasing power OF money as Indicated
by operators in those countries are approxi-
mately SO per cent. higher in Switzerland and The
Netherlands than in this country 100 per cent higher
in Sweden Denmark and Norway. 20 per cent. higher
in Great Britain and Germany 100 per cent higher in
Russia and almost 200 per cent higher in France
These figures. they say arc perhaps as authentic
as any which be determined on the basis of aver
revenues and values That the United States makes
favorable showing indeed under its operation Of the
telephone systems by private enterprise they add is
hardly to be disputed; and particularly when there
is taken into consideration the comparative merits
Of telephone service in this country and abroad does
the balance swing strongly in favor of the United
States It is interesting to read from the writings
OF prominent foreign Observers each them dealing
with the quality OF the service in his own country
in work entitled Public Ownership in France"
Paul Leroy Beauleu Professor of Political Economy
says; 1T is not superhuous to say here few words
about one Of the French state monopolies
the telephone. The complaints under this head are
universal The apparatus is antiquated and the em-
poyes incapable. AS a rule it takes many minutes
TO get connection n Paris and when Won
would converse with other cities even when they are
not far apart the best plan is not to try it,"
That prominent Paris newspaper LeTemps In quot
ing the remarks Of party Of tourists August Of last
year stated Of the fifteen cities constituting the re-
lay points for the Bicycsts' Tour of France we were
able to get telephone connection with only Eve or six
The exchanges answered regularly: Such and such
city line out Of order Such and such city line
out OF order. Those lines which we had taken tho
trouble to June - for our nterurban conver
satons were not actually free until the latter half
OF July The tour OF France by that time was two
thirds accomplished
In England. where the operation of the telephope
system was some years taken from private hands
by the government, there is perfect storm of pro-
test against the quality Of service furnished The Elec
trcai Review Of London. describes conditions in July
OF 1913 as follows "The British public having now
possessed its very telephone service for some
eighteen months, is awakening. Il has dawned upon
the intelligence Of John Bull that perhaps after all
national ownership IS not all that it's cracked nm 10
be and that expert management in the hands of a
highly developed commercial and technical stan is
not so detrimental to the public welfare as he had been
toldr
The following criticism OF the telephone service
in Germany. made by Herr Haberland. Deputy. on
February IS last during the debate in the Rechstag
on the German Postal budget is a commentary on the
conditions In that country: Complaint is made OF
the long time that subscriber must wait in order TO
get long distance connection. especially connections
between the west and the more central parts of the
country. For years the Imperial Post Office has been
acquainted with these complaints In 1910 It was
proved that the average time of waiting to connect by
telephone service between Dusseldorf and Berlin was
still over an hour. Later conditions again grew worse
The average time required get a connection with
Berlin is and one-haf- hours. According TO re-
ports from number Of firms if the operator be re-
quested to get Berlin the general reply that unless
conversation be CLASSIFIED urgent the connection
will take several hours Our business life and trade
suffers considerably account Of this lack Of tele
phone facilities which exist"
Similar examples il is asserted might be cited