The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-03-31
BEAR MAKES REPLY.

U641Uu BU0N6O I'LL LII
Telephone Head Explains why Topeks
Rates Are Reasonable.
In the petition filed yesterday be-
fore the public utilities commission BY
a number Of patrons in this city ask
ing q reduction in telephone party line
| rates. comparisons are made in the
rates between Topeka and towns like
Emporia, Atchison, Hutchinson, Law
renee and .Leavenworth. s. j. Bear
division superintendent of the Bell
Telephone company, took up the
cudgels today and branded such COM
par as utterly unfair, misleading
anc absurd. He points out that the
service is worth more to the patron
and costs the company more to pro-
duce 1t. in a city with 10000 subscri-
Ders than in cities having only from
o1e-fifth to one-half that number.
can show you in hurry why
Bear. He picked up the 1913 asses
sors' report on the population Of Kan
sas. Topeka Is credited here with
1880 Inhabitants. Emporia's popu-
laiion is 10.304. or just one-fifth the
size Of Topeka. Atchison has 16,429
o.
inson has 1881. also a little more
than one-third the size of Topeka;
Lawrence has 1920. a fraction more
than one-fourth Of this city; Leaven-
worth has 21,776: less than half our
bers in Topeka, or about one tele-
phone for ever five people. Emporia
has about 1000 phones; Atchison
about 5000; Hutchinson, 300; Law
renee, $500; Leavenworth, 3,4O0. The
~ hA
commission didn't seem to take into
consideration that the greater the
number Of subscribers, the greater
the number Of people that can be
reached by every telephone patron.
4 Topeka subscriber can reach almost
10000 people, while a subscriber In
Emporia can reach only about 1000.
Yet these signers seem to think that
the rates in Topeka and Emporia
should be identical. They don't seem
to feel that telephone in Topeka
over which you can reach five times
as many people. as an Emporia sub
scrtber can reach over his, phone, is
worth more to the patron. They don't
seem to consider the fact that it calls
for whole lot more equipment, en-
ployees. wires, poles and SO on to
serve 10000 people than it does 1000
not only this but 1t requires more
equipment Of all kinds for. each SUBJ
scriber. The fact of the matter il that
cost increases almost proportionately.
The only town mentioned in the petit
ton, of Topeka's size, with which this
city can be compared. il Wichita, and
there the existing rates are in litiga-
ton, both IN the courts and before the
commission. The other towns are all
from one-fifth to one-half the popu-
lation of Topeka.
"of the 10000 subscribers in Topeka
signed the petitions. Considering the
fact that almost anybody will sign any
petition this small number should 60
to show that Topeka patrons generally
are satisfied with the telephone SER
vice as whole. The petitions are
really inspired by a misunderstanding
of the requirement promulgated by
the company recently making all the
telephone rentals due on the first of
each month. 80 days in advance. but
allowing until the middle of the
month for payment.
THE practice is working well now
and we hear few if any complaints. I
think the purpose Of our requirement
was simply misunderstood at first. We
are a public service utility and must
serve everybody that comes. We must
not, like a governor. select our patrons.
but must sell to every one who applies
and treat all alike. We do not know
everybody. We cannot always distin-
guish the good pay subscriber from the
one that won't pay. We cannot afford
to lose money that way, for our rates
fair return on the investment. Aside
from that feature, do people kick be-
cause they must buy a ticket before
they ride one foot on 8 railroad train?
House rent must be paid in advance.
Can you buy a suit of clothes on the
promise to pay for it when it is half
worn out? Under our practice you
don't pay your telephone bill until half
the month has gone by and you have
had Is days of service. You don't go
into a theater and say you will pay
when the play is half over. There are
some utilities which require a cash de-
post for protection against unpaid bills.
But the Bell company requires no de-
pOsit, and only after Is days service
is already furnished and due does it
ask an equal amount in advance. We
believe the requirement has solved the
problem of facilitating collections In
fair and just way. The great majority
Of patrons evidently think likewise for
the little complaining which appeared
at first has almost entirely substded.
There was a little bunch Of subscribers
who did not like this requirement and
notified US that they would make trout
BILE for US. They could not attack the
practice lit was perfectly reasonable
and legal SO they attacked our rates.
They sent out the petitions that have
been filed but did not dare to get be-
hind them and sent them to the utili-
ties commission anonymouslyS The
members Of the commission do not
know who filed them as they were
mailed without any accompanying let
address or other, Identifying mark
upon it"
0SA1uV ann c11neQlle