Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-11
j. S. OWNERSHIP
| AFAILURE, SAYS
II PHONE OFFICIAL
Eiee-President Bethel, of New
York Company, Speaks Be-
fore Trade Board.

- NN-APAFVliI iiliNo was plESEUlCo "
the Board of Trade at its meeting
last night by Frank H. Bethel, vice
president of the New York Telephone
Company. lie gave history of tele-
phone operation in European coun-
tries to prove his assertion that gov
eminent ownership of this industry
is failure.
I Mr.. Bethel announced that the
New York Telephone Company does
not object to government regulation.
lie told of the growth of the tele-
phone system in Newark from the in
stallation of the system here twenty
Tour years ago. At that time one
small room In building at Broad
and Market streets was the entire
plant.
The speaker presented statistics to
SHOW how far the United States
ieads other countries in the develop
ment OF telephones. Mr.. Bethells ad-
dress was as follows:
Inc telephone development should
excel in all densely populated coun-
tries, but the facts, astonishing as
they may seem, are as follows; Great
Britain has 514 per cent. of the
worlds telephones; the German en-
pre-, SO per cent; France, 22' per
| cent. While in the United States
J there are 64.3 per cent. Here In the
city OF Newark, with its 100000 popu-
lation, the telephone development is
greater than in the great manufac-
turing cities of Liverpool, Manchester
and Birmingham, each with more
Y than 10000 population.
las to rates for service it should
not be forgotten that government
properties are not taxed while the
Bell system alone paid in taxes-last
year the sum of $4,000. 600 Also, that
annual deficits resulting from opera
ton of these utilities must be made
good through taxation of user and
non-user alike. The deficit as a re-
suit of the government operation OF
the wires in Great Britain last year
was S5,700,000.
I'VE build our plant more econom-
fcally in this country than the for
eign governments do. For instance,
the investment per telephone in the
United States is 1925, as against S257
in France and SITS in Great Britain
and the German Empire. Even Mr..
Lewis pays tribute to our economical
construction by stating that there is
no water or suggestion of it in our
stock.
THE actual revenue per telephone
is greater in Germany by $3.50 per
a.nnum than it is in the United States.
Great Britain it is $3.50 higher. and
II. France 1920 greater per annum.
At the rates per annum in Great
Britain, the American public would
have paid last year for its telephone
service $54.000,000 more than it did.
. At the French rates it would have
paid an increase of sSS,000000. These
figures astounding as they may
seem, are from official records.
"Our urban development is far
ahead of anything found abroad, and
our rates in cities are about on a level
with the rates in foreign cities. 1t is
the rural development in this country
that brings down our average rates.
The government policy is to with
hold this service In rural commune
ties, but the rural service is as I'M
portant a part of the American sys-
tenn. as is the urban service. Thus
this tremendous fabric OF country and
city is woven together into one great
system, giving to our people service
such as was never dreamed of under
government ownership, and at rates
I that average lower than can be found
elsewhere. Our service is the most
expensive, the most efficient and DIT
the same time the cheapest service in
the world.
''Then there Is the question of treat
nent of employees. For the manner
in which we treat our employees We
have been universally commended and
have been awarded medals in inter.
national expositions. Under our En-
ployes' Benefit Fund they arc cared
for when they are sick or when dis
abled by accident. When they have
reached the age of retirement they
receive their pensions, and when they
die a. death benefit Is given to those
dependent upon them.
while railroads and public service
corporations generally. especially the
Bell Telephone companies, have adopt
ed employees benefit funds, the Fed
eral government provides neither old
age pensions, sick benefits, accident
benefits, nor death benefits. Should
the government take over the tele-
phone industry the employees now
serving telephone companies would
be forced to SURRENDER all these bene-
fits which they have earned and TO
which they are entitled.
1T is not my thought that the
great natural monopolies should be
unregulated. The government has
proved it's ability to regulate, and it
also has proved absolutely its inability
I. operate.
"The Interstate Commerce Com
mission has prescribed for public
service corporations an elaborate
system OF dccOuIllillS' ISNSiS SVii-
pany in the Bell system uses 1t.
I'VE are required to know. and
we do know. by the 21st of the fol-
lowing month, the results of our
operation of the preceding month.
We are required to make. and VIC
do make, elaborate annual reports
: to all commissions having jurisdic-
ton. We are required to meet, and
we do meet, every complaint against
us. whether it has to do with rates,
with service and routines, or what
not.
Meet Every Demand.
"Puolic service commissions have
been established In forty-two of the
forty-eight States, and their records
will show that our companies always
have responded promptly to every re-
quest made by them. On the other
hand, no one can tell today whether
the parcel post is a definite success.
The Congressional Record reports a
debate between Senator Lodge, OF
Massachusetts,, and Senator Bristow,
of Kansas, in which Senator Bristow,
as champion of the parcel post, ad-
mitted that with the separate parcel
post stamp abolished there was no
To Help Nature Shed