The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-07
NEW PHONES ONLY
FOR WAR BUSINESS
BurlesOn Order Curtails Exten.
sions and installations
for NOn-essentials.
HITS APARTMENT HOUSES
Contracts for Service Cannot
Be Transferred Between
Present Holders.


necessary telephone calls and thus clear
the wires as far as possible for the
transmission Of war messages, Postmas-
ter-General Burleon, now in charge of
the nations wire systems, has issued an
order prohibiting the installation OF new
| telephones or the extension of old serv-
ices save where such installation or 81 I.
tension Is imperative 'to meet war re-
quirements and the vital commercial
needs of the country"
The order. which went into effect seps
TENDER l. probably will cause the most
Inconvenience to jewellers in apartment
houses and private residences, some of
whom undoubtedly will find themselves
without telephones during the coming
year and perhaps for the duration of the
war. But new corporations and busi-
ness enterprises also will be handicapped
| unless they can prove that they come
| within the Governments definition of
an essential industry. Doctors, OF
course. will be exempted from the order
Problem OF Interpretation.
Just how widely the effect will be felt
| In the business world will depend largely
Of course on the llberality with which
the term non essential Is construed. Of
ficials Of the New York Telephone Com
pany do not know as yet whether the
definition will follow along the general
lines laid down In Provost Marshal Cen
eral Crowder's recent list of non-esser-
tial Industries. issued after the pro-
mitigation Of the work or Fight order. No
matter what standards are used. how
ever. these officials say there will al
ways be cases requiring individual judy
ment.
1T Is obvious" said one Of them yes
terday, that service for shlpyards, mu-
milton plants. Federal. State and mu-
nicipal Government offices fall within the
classes which are to receive service
without question. New service for IN
dustries listed by the Government as nom
essential and for residences Is barred
There will be certain border line cases
which will have to be considered on
their merits as they arise"
or course no telephones already in
stalled will be taken out nor will any
! existing contracts be abrogated. but the
full weight of the order will fall upon
jewellers in new apartments or new resi-
dences and upon those who cancelled
their telephone contracts or allowed
them to lapse. and neglected to renew
them before September /.
Cannot Transfer Contracts.
A man who builds a new house for
himself will have to forego the con-
venience of a telephone unless he had
one in his former residence which he
can transfer, or unless he can persuade
the officials that his connection with the
Government or with some vitality essen
tial industry makes IL imperative for
him to have the connection in his house.
The Same will also hold good with q
man who buyssa house. Unless he has
q telephone In his name to transfer to
his new abode. he will not be able to
buy the service installed for the previous
owner.
Contracts for telephone service" an
official Of the telephone company pointed
out yesterday, ARE between individuals
and the company. and the company
could not. in any circumstances, recog
nize any private transaction between in
dividuals to transfer service from one
to another"
Thus II a high class apartment house
were to change owners the seller would
have to terminate his contract or TAXA
his service with him, and the tenants
would have to do without telephones I'M
less the buyer hapaened to have a con-
tract with the company which he was
willing to transfer to his new property.
Unaware OF the impending order.
many apartment house owners in Man
haitian. The Bronx and Brooklyn dis
continued the branch exchanges in their
houses expecting to save money by in
stalling telephone booths in the halls
and allowing the tenants who wanted
private service 20 enter into individual
contracts with the telephone company
for the installation of private wires in
their apartments When the order was
promulgated. however. the owners OF
these houses FASTENED to save them
selves by revoking their cancellations,
but they we're told that the cancellations
were final and the branch telephones
must come out by October 1.
The owner OF one of these houses ad-
mitted yesterday that he saw no way in
which to furnish telephone service for
his tenants.