Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-11-16
Telephone
Rates Fixed
Federal Regulation Set Telephone
Installation Rates-Telephone, Tel
egraph and Mail Service to BE Com
solidated.

Orders relative to the standardiza-
ton OF the telephone and telegraph
rates throughout the United States,
and which became effective on Sep
TENDER l, fixed the rates o. chang
ing telephones and installing new
ones.
1t is further planned to have the
postoff1ce department handle all tele-
graph and telephone receipts, and
plans are now under way to conseli-
date the telegraph, the telephone and
the mail service in one building. Tho
local postoff1ce today received a re-
quest to submit plans of the federal
building, in view to applying this sys-
tenn locally.
Alderman w. S. Whitman, chair
man Of the council telephone COM
mittee, speaking of the installation
rates and the new system in general,
said today:
No. 1891 issued by the postmaster
office in this city, the rates for in
stalling and changing telephones were
fixed to become effective September
1, for all new installations; these
rates were based upon the monthly
telephone charge; if the monthly
charge is 81 or less, the rate is IS;
if between 81 and 81. the rate is $40,
dIlu IL 11lOlc IIAoll $1 IL AAoS0AAoSAOAA
charge is SIS; l understand that all
telephone receipts go to the govern
ment which pays all expenses just the
same Is the railroads.
Postonice to Have Charge.
"a short time ago investigations
were made in this city, and, I pre-
sumo, all over the United States for
the purpose Of having the postofice
handle all telegraph and telephone
receipts. but this condition has not
yet bee brought to pass: 1t Is In con
temptation mo 1 understand the in
tent is to have the postoffice take care
of all such monies.
investigations are o in, prog
ress by the >~postofice department
looking to the standardization Of tele-
phone and telegraph rates through
out the entire United States; commit
tees to investigate the subject were
appointed by the postofice depart
ment on September IA.
Messrs. Nelson & Tuttle represent
ing the Western Union and III Postal
Telegraph companies were in this city
about November 1 under instructions
from the postoffice department to in
vestigate the facilities in the federal
building to install consolidated tele-
graph lines and offices in that build
ing; the plan proposed was to have
LIle IcCelVIIlS anu CdSlAbcA . oAiSSAS i
the p%ostoffice floor and run the wires
and rave the operating room on the
second and third floors.
"Three In One"
ultimately the purpose is, to have
the telephone exchanges also accom-
modated in the p%ostofice building so
that there will be consolidated in one
building, all of the three means of
communication, that is, the postohce,
the telegraph and the telephone.
"Just today, the local p~ostoffice re-
ceived a request for diagram or plans
of the second and third floors of the
federal building for use in onnec-
ton with the necessary changes to
carry this purpose into effect.
THE installation charges are made
by the government for the purpose
among others of discouraging un-
necessary changes in installations; the
government is operating the telephone
exchanges; the expense Of operation
is paid by the subscribers; and the
cost Of maintaining the crews to make
changes in installation are borne
necessarily by the steady subscribers,
so the postofice department explains
that these charges should equitably
be borne by the persons having the
installation or changes made and not
by the other subscribers.
I'VE have written to the telephone
exchanges and to the p%ostof1ce de-
partment asking as to the prospects
for obtaining the material and getting
the consolidation Of the two phones
speedily carried into effect in this
city,"