Evening star., 1917-12-26
RAP PHONE SERVICE
IN OPPOSING RAISE
Protestants Against Higher
Rates Take Occasion to Ex-
press Views of Company.
ALSO cRITIcIsE NOTICE


Protests against the proposal of the
Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
Company to increase its rates IN the
District are reaching the Public Utiutles
Commission at lively pace.
Walter C. Allen, executive secretary
of the commission. has been Kept pus!
for several days answering communica-
tions relative to both the proposed teie-
phone and gas rate increases. out those
concerning the telephone company out
number the gas protests by 10 to 1.
The burden of the telephone protests
is that higher prices should not ne de-
manded for the character of service
now rendered.
Aside from the matter of service. the
sending of notice by the company to
it's subscribers to the effect that new
rates will go into effect January /, or as
soon thereafter as approved by the pub
lie utilities commission, has aroused
storm of protests.
Notwithstanding this notice was sent
out with the approval of the public
utilities commission and will have no
effect whatever If the commission falls
to authorize the new tariffs sought,
subscribers have branded the notice as
an effrontery to the commission and
have said numerous uncomplimentary
things about it.
Wants Flat Rate to Remain.
of the commissions mail today Mrs.
Lena E. Murray of 1888 Massachusetts,
avenue southeast wrote to the commits
sion urging it not to abolish the fiat
rate. Stating that she formerly sub
scribed for limited service and then
had it changed to unlimited because
1t was such nuisance she added:
I'VE were charged with out-of-town
calls as well as an excess number of
city calls which were never made. Each
month it meant a trip to the telephone
Office to fight over the telephone bill, so,
while the number of calls allowed by
the limited service were enough for us
II the telephone company hadn't made
so many mistakes, we preferred to pay
- q month (Which consider exorbitant
for q residence) rather than be worried
each month with a wrong telephone
bill. The grievances are not all with
the telephone company. The subscribers
all can testify
Charles G. Warden, in letter to the
commission, suggests that 'if the COM
pany is put to heavy expense in ex-
y.
the way to meet it is to issue bonds to
cover the expense, which is for pernna-
nent betterment, and which should not
be mulcted out Of the pockets Of sub
De Egbert A. Clark has written the
commission, In part:
Il wish to enter my protest against
any increased rate under the existing
conditions. The service is and has
been Tor six months almost intoler-
able
Wants Better Service Now.
TT is suggested that before this ad-
vance 10 put into effect" states a pro-
test from the Rebuilt Typewriter Com
pany. Incorporated. some radical steps
be accomplished SO that the service
shall be adequate to the rates now
charged. to say nothing of the possible
suggestion that the service be Improved
to a point where an advanced rate will
be just compensation for Increased
service efficiency"
Another protest is from the l.. =
White Coal Company. Incorporated and
We wish to enter our protest against
this We have four telephones. and we
neIieye the rates paid now are exorbi-
( tant Tor the inefficfent service no,., -,
dered. and which has been rendered To-
the past six months or more"
wnaI age are we living inT' asks
tne A F. Fox Company. How a feIe.
phone company. giving tie poorest pos
ice. can appeal to a public utilities com
) mission. whose creation was for the a.,
press purpose Of prohibiting these cor
porations from imposing upon the pub-
nc xno Ask q raise in rates through a
most unjust and dishonest system viz
measured service. when only two small
distr1cts in all America have stood To-
II. on plea that the war rush govern
nent business has caused all the ex-
pense and burden which has been MA iced
on them. and yet Uncle Sans rate is
10 remain the same because of the VOL
ume OF business he is doing but the
smaler user who in no way was re-
sponsipie for the expense or burden. but
VINO mas Tor the past year been paying
bnt not receiving anything but annoy-
ance by owning a telephone is ask ed
70 pay by system that every call you
MAKE, whether you get it or not you
are charged for is beyond all reason 10
any sane and sensible man."
Suggests Years Calls as Basis.
Wiiiiam H. Dali Of the Smithsonian
Institution suggests:
"At present the company makes n,
DEDUCTION for the time when the teIe-
phone Is out of use during the summer
absence OF the family. They will not
period. but charge the full s. each
month. although in the hot weather
there must be thousands of telephones
out OF use IL a measured service Il
70 be substituted. IT would seem only
fair to the subscribers under these
conditions that the average monthly
numHer OF calls for the whole year be
the basis OF compensation and not the
few crowded months of the winter
season alone"
States the building trades department,
OF the American Federation of Labor.
1T 10 our thought that the telephone
service has been so wretched and nm
satisfactory that there should be a
substantial reduction in the rates in
stead of an increase" Az
y. Edwards Thomas writes to the
commission: @"s
wish to file protest spains.
sotnority being granted for increase
IN rates. for the reason that the cor,
pany Is now well paid for the ella a. q,
service rendered. i believe the cor,
peny IS seeking to take ADVANTAGE y,
tneee periious times when the neonI.
arc using their means for patrintis
us." "uruehs upon
James s. Mccarthy protests that ~,
service rendered by the companv 10
disgrace and asserts that the waee
pa'd their help do not warrant then
IN increasing telephone rates