Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-01-17
CALAMITY FEARED
BY TELEPHONE MAN
Head of Chesapeake and Po-
tomac Company Argues
Against Lewis Bill.
DEFENDS RATES IN CAPITAL

ers of the Lewis bill providing fol
government ownership of the telephone
service of the District Of Columbia
F. H. Bethel. president Of the Chesa.
peake and Potomac Telephone Com
pany. endeavored today to show be-
fore the House District committee that
the proposed experiment on the Ma
tional Capital would be calamitous
and should under no circumstances be
it would be extremely detrimental to
Washington and to the general tele-
phone service of the country to at
tempt to make the Washington tele-
phone service a function of the Post
Office Department.
The principal objections to govern
ment ownership as proposed in the bill
according to Mr.. Bethel, would be the
bringing about OF the division of re-
sponsibility for the proper maintenance
Of q local and nationwide service.
Holds Rates Here Fair.
'1 shall not discuss the theoretical
question Of government ownership
said Mr.. Bethel. Upon that question
there can be and is an honest differ
ence of opinion. But I shall show
that In so far as Washington rates are
concerned the rates charged here are
less than those charged in other CAPT.
tails of the world, and that they are as
low, or lower, than rates charged in
other American cities comparable with
Washington"
Mr.. Bethel said at the outset of his
statement to the committee that the
privately owned telephone companies OF
ftlc nrNrt WV
to which they are devoting their lives.
and consequently bringing improve
ments. In refuting the contention OF
Mr. Lewis, author of the bill, he pro-
duced statistics to show that while there
are only per cent of the worlds popu-
lation in the United States, So per cent
of the total number Of telephones in ex-
istence are employed in this country.
Attacking arguments advanced in favor
of the bill during the course Of the hear
ings before the committee, Mr.. Bethel
said:
THE development of the telephone
service and the use of the service in
foreign countries is hardly comparable
with the deve1opmet here.
Less Development Abroad.
IF London had Washington's devel-
opment there would be in service there
100000 telephones. There are $4,000,
The same. development in Paris would
mean 100000 telephones. There are
$4,000. The same development in Well
ington, New Zealand. which country
has been pointed to by the author of
the bill as being comparable in every
way with the United States, would mean
1850 telephones, or more than double
the number now in service.
In the cities of New York, Philadel-
phfa, Baltimore and Washington there
are more telephones than are found in
sixteen Of the principal foreign cap
itals-fittes with a combined popula tion
of moie than 20.ooo,o0o.
III the telephons rates of Great
Britain prevailed in the United States
this country's telephone bill, with the
development we have brought about,
would be $S6,000.00O per annum greater
than it is. arrive at this by taking
the reported average gross earnings
per telephone in Great Britain and
multiplying that figure by the number
OF telephones in service here. Applying
rates. II applied here. would produce
So3.O00,0OO additional revenue; while
the French rates would bring to the
telephone companies an increase OF
some s41 100000 every year.
Even the much-discussed New Zea-
land would, II the same rule could be
applied. produce additional revenues in
the amount Of s5,500.000.
Close Cooperation Forbidden.
1T is a fact that in the interest of
economy. with view to eliminating
duplication of every kind. the American
Telephone and Telegraph Company and
it's subsidiary companies. operating up-
der a contract with and in cooperation
with the Western Union Telegraph
Company. had reached the point where
the offices of the two companies In hun
dreds of places had been combined, with
the resulting saving in rents, clerical
hire, etc, and with corresponding in
crease in the furnishing of the telegra oh
service, because 1t brought a twenty
four-hour service.
these efforts made by the COM
panies were not to the liking of the
Attorney General Of the United States
who, as everybody knows, ordered a
break in the arrangement, in conse.
quence of which the offices that had
been closed have been reopened and
the telegraph service Is restricted az
of old.
Had we been permitted to carry out
our plans millions of dollars would
have been saved in construction and
in operating every year, and that this
saving would have been turned back
to the public is evidenced by the fact
that we had established and filed with
phone and telegraph rate, thus putting
at the disposal of the public both the
telephone and telegraph service at a
IoWer onS- than had ever nrevai1ed ha.