Arizona republican., 1918-08-01
HIGHER RATES FUR TELEPHONE
 SERVICE ASKED
Mountain States Company
 Asks Corporation Com
 mission for Permission to Ask More for Phones

Telephones in stores and other l places of business in Phoenix will cost | $5 per month in the future if the ap- | plication of the Mountain States Tele- phone and Telegraph company for per- mission to raise rates is granted.
 The application was filed yesterday with the state corporation commission and asks permission of the commits sion to change and increase rates for business telephone service within the base rate area of Phoenix. Arizona" No date of hearing on the applica- tion yet has been set by the corpora tion commission. A like application was filed by the Mountain States com- | pany for permission to raise rates for business telephones in Tucson.
 The present rate for single line" | business telephones in Phoenix is s& per month. Besides asking permission of the corporation commission to raise the rate for single-line business tele- phone from $4 per month to $5' per month. the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph company also asks per mission to establish a new form of service for two-party line business telephones at s4 per month.
 Included with the application of the Mountain States company to the cor | the auditors department which are said to show that for several months | the telephone company, for the service mentioned in the application, has re- ceived barely enough to pay the ex | penses. The same situation is declared
 by the company to exist in Tucson.
 The application by the Mountain
 States company for permission to raise it's rates in Phoenix for business tele- phones comes just before the telephone companies pass into the management of the government.
 Official notice to all employees of the
 Bell Telephone company and it's sub sidiaries that control of the wire sys-
 tems pass to the postmaster general
 today has been given as follows:
 "Employes of the Bell Telephone Com pany*
 Under authority of the law and by
 the proclamation of the president, pos
 session and control of the wire systems
 pass to the postmaster general as of
 August 1. In conference held in
 Washington, at which were present the
 postmaster general, the government
 operating committee and representa-
 tives of the Bell company, the post . master general expressed most em-
 fhati his appreciation of the serv- lcc the Bell companies were rendering
 and that such improvement possible to be made would be becaus of the ad- ditional power derived from the gov ) ernment He asked for the co-opera = ton and assistance of those who had heretofore been responsible for the l service.
 The postmaster general was equally , emphatic in the statement of his de- ) sire to conserve the service and prop
 critics of the companies with view of ) returning them when called upon so ? to do to the owners in as good condi- { tion as received. That it was his earn !, est desire that the owners should re- ceive just compensation in the fullest ] sense for their use.
 T The, postmaster general, until other wise instructions are issued, desires f that the conduct of operations shall
 continue as heretofore and also states
 that no changes will be made unti r after consultation and full and carefu consideration to all of you who arc identified with the Bell companies who have shown your fine sense of obliga ton and your loyalty and fidelity tc