The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1918-12-20
CUTS PHONE RATES
BURLEeON ANNOUNCES SOME
SWEEPING REDUCTIONS
IN RATES.
NIGHT CALL TOLLS SLASHED
1asic Charge Of ga Mills q Mile, Air
Line, Establlshed-statlon to sta
ton Service Rates %lnauguratsd by
the New Order.

Washington, ID. C.-Sweeping reduc-
lions in long distnace and toll tele-
phone rates by the adoption OF a basic
charge OF ga mills q mile, air line
mileage, and half the day rate for
fourth the day rate after that hour,
were announced by Postmaster Gen
eral Burleson. They become effective
next January 10.
The new rates were recommended
in the first report Of the committee on
rate Standardization, and Mr.. Burle-
sons statement said their effect lis to
equalize the toll and long distance
charges over the country" removing
disparities and preferences and pro-
viding a scientific basis for future re-
ductions contemplated as u%nification
OF telephone and telegraph wires pro-
ceeds.
Night Rates SIashsd.
"A night service rate" said the
statement, (which is one-half the day
rate, is established between $3.50 and
IL p. IN. Between midnight and 4:3O
u. m. the night rate Is o%ne-fourth the
day rate. These are greater reduc-
lions In night rates than have aver
been made In any country and doubt
less will be extensively used, especial
iy for social and family purposes. A
person might talk from San Francisco
to New York for about 81, whereas
the day rate is approximately S16.
"A station to station service Is es-
tablished such As now exists In the
balance of the world; that is, when a
connection Ia established with q mans
u or Office the opportunity to con-
verse Is provided and the station to
station rate, which is the basic rate.
applies and Ia payable whether the
particular person desired responds or
not. This a up to twenty-four miles
is at the rate Of S cents for six miles
and for greater distances 5 cents for
each eight miles, or about Ga mills
a mile. The distance is computed by
air line methods and not by pole line
Va PuoAAS hi6h ways, lhW MI ilue us
tances are commonly about 100 miles
when the others would run $50 miles,
1t is stated by the committee that
more han sixty varieties of toll rates
existed In the United States up
to the present time. The effect of
this uniform or basic rate In the sta
ton to station service is to reduce
nnt fact ahnnf IN az-4
OF the rates, though necessarily slight
ly raising about 80 per cent in the
process OF Standardization.
Fraud Praotiesd.
1t requires about two and one-half
times as much work to establish con.
nection with a particular person than
the station to station service. Hitler.
to the rates have been the same for
both kinds of service, nothing being
paid, however great the service per.
formed, on the failure uof the tele-
phone institution to insure the partic.
person. The particular person
has also been used to defraud
government out of its toll reve.
Designing persons employ codes,
and, although the desired telephone
Is reported, the particular person is
said not to be there, but words OF
given from his phone an
all the purposes OF the call un
der the code arrangemnt.
The particular person service is not
discontinued, but the rate therefor is
so modified as to prevent these abuses
and compensate the telephone serv-
ice in part for the extra expense OF
labor and plant involved, and a charge
OF rs per cent OF the station to sta
ton rate is made for such service.
the particular persons is secured
and a report charge of R5 per cen OF
the station to station rate is made
when the public or office telephone
is obtained and his whereabouts or
to talk is reported.
I'm many large sections OF the coun.
try the smallest toll rate has not been
less than Is cents. Under the new
scheme for short distances the rates
are reduced to 5 cents and 10 cents
for the cheapest form OF service. The
person can talk Ave minutes as COM
pared with three minutes now, or in
some cases only two minutes or one
minute. Free toll areas where the ex-
change rate vas designed to cover the
free service or a lower charge there
for r not affected by this order"
A~..