Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1918-12-20
Burleson Cuts Telephone Rates.

Sweeping reductions in long distance and
toll telephone rates by the adoption Of a
basic charge of 6 Ia mills a mile, airline
mileage, and half day rate for night
service up to midnight and one fourth the
day rate after that hour, was announced
Monday by Postmaster-G General Burleson.
They become effective January 81.
The new rates were made in the first
report of the committee on rate Standard
cation and Mr.. Burleson's statement said
their effect is to equalize the toll and long
distance charges over the country, "re-
moving disparities and preferences and
providing scientific basis for future re-
ductions contemplated as unification of
telephone and telegraph wires proceeds"
"A night service rate" said the state
ment, which is one-half the day rate, is
established between $50 and IL P. M.
Between midnight and 4:30 A. M. the
night rate is one-fourth the day rate. These
are greater reductions in night rates than
have ever been made in any country, and
doubtless will be extensively used, especi-
ally for social and family purposes. A
person might talk from San Francisco to
New York for about 81. whereas the day
rate is approximately SIG.
"A station to station service is estab-
lished such as now exists in the balance
OF the world, that Is, when a connection is
established with mans house or office,
the opportunity to converse is provided and
the station to station rate. which is the
basic rate, applies and is payable whether
the particular person desired responds or
not This rate up to "a miles is at the rate
OF five cents for six miles and for greater
distances five cents for each eight miles,
or about six and one-fourth mills mile.
The distance is computed by airline
methods and not by pole line or public
highways The airline distances are COM
monty about 100 miles, when the others
would run $50 miles. 1t is stated by the
committee that more than so varieties of
toll rates have existed in the United States
up to the present time. The effect of this
uniform or basic rate in the station to
station service is to reduce or not affect
about 70 per cent. Of the rates though
necessarily slightly raising about 80 per
cent. in the process Of standardization.
ut requires about two and one-half times
as much work to establish connection with
a particular person than the station-tO-
station service. Hitherto the rates have
been the same for both kinds of services,
nothing being paid. however great the ser
Vices performed. on the failure of the tele-
phone institution to secure the particular
person. The particular person service has
also been used to defrand the Government
out of its toll revenues. Designing per-
sons employ codes under which, although
the desired telephone is reached, the par
ticular person is said not to be there but
words Of explanation given from his phone
answer all the purposes of the call under
the code arrangement.
THE particular person service is not dis
but the rate therefor is so modi-
fed as to prevent these abuses and COM
pensate the telephone service in part for
the extra expense of labor and plant in
volved, and charge of rs per cent. of
the STANDARDIZATION rate is made for such
service, when the particular person is Sc
cured, and report charge of rs per cent.
of the station-to station rate is made when
the public or Office telephone is obtained
and his whereabouts or refusal to talk is
IN many large sections of the country
the smallest toll rate has been not less
than is cents. Under the new scheme for
short distances the rates are reduced to
S cents and for 10 cents for the cheapest
form of service the person can talk five
minutes as compared with three minutes
now, or in some cases only two minutes or
one minute Free toll areas where the ex-
change rate was designed to cover the free
service or a low charge therefor are not |
affected by this order"
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