The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1917-01-23
TELEPHONE RATES
CUT VOLUNTARILY
Reduction Cost 100000 a
Year, President Bethel
Tells Probers.
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Bethel said. The same preparedness
is true in Baltimore. Philadelphia, and
other cities. he declared. while indie
pendent companies operate in limited
areas.
Analysing the telephone situation
in Washington. he said 81 per cent
Of the telephones are used for busi-
ness purposes and - per cent for do
meAtic purposes. but these percent
ages did not include the great num-
Der OF telephones used for both pur-
poses. In New York 81 per cent OF
the telephones are used for business
and 80 per cent for domestic purposes
Compared with New York.
aTn New York the ratio of teIe-
phones to tho population IL o per
cent, while in Washington 1t Is IL
per cent" said the witness. "New
York IL the greatest telephone city
In the world. It has almost twice as
many telephones as the republic OF
France. although II Is only one-sev-
enth the size Of that country. The
city of New York has more telephones
than q number of foreign countries
combined"
Congressman Wheeler appeared
greatly interested in the voluntary
reduction Of rates by the company
He was informed by President Bethel
that the company had had q valuation
put upon its property and arrived Al
the conclusion that the rates could
be reduced.
1.-THE reductions were mifde and sub
mitted to the Public Utilities Com
mission of the District subject to
analysis and change" said the wit
ness. The commission accepted the
rates and we put them into effect"
At the request of members OF the
committee President Bethel said that
when he resumes the stand tomorrow
morning at 10, o'clock he would have
q table showing the telephone rates
IN San Francisco, st. Louis. Denver
Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New
York, so that they might be COM
pared with the tariffs In Washing
ton.
Deeries o. 8. OwnershiD.
President Bethel began his testi-
mony today by emphasizing the fact
that Government ownership Of the
would cause difficulties and ineonven-
fence because Of failure to co-ordi-
nate. with the privately owned sys-
tens with which 1t would have to dc
business.
ST want to emphasizes the fact tina
in providing telephone service coun
try wide in its nature, the kind Of
telephone service the public demands
uniformity must prevail in construc
ton, in maintenance, and In operating
methods" said President Bethel.
Following the great storm of in
auguration day in 1909 when, as ev
erybody knows, the city Of Wash
ington was completely cut off, no
only In its means OF communication
but also in Its means Of transports
tion, from the rest OF the world, tn
Bell Telephone Company set itself Il
work Immediately to place In opera
ton a system that would prevent for
ever the complete isolation of Wash
ington from the nation Of which 4
Is the capital.
Connected By Cable New.
Warrington is now at the south
ern end Of an underground cable ex
tending northward through Balti
more, Philadelphia, New York. and OF
to Boston. in which cable there arr
wires taking telephone and tele
graphic messages. Nothing short Of
an earthquake can again detach Wash
ington from the rest of the country
Not only did it cost q vast amount
of. money to install these cables, but
before anything else could be dont
transmission difficulties had to bt
overcome.
Forty miles OF transmission on
open wire is equal to one mile OF trans
mission in cable Special apparatus had