The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-01-20


 will find something of personal inter est in the new telephone toll rates to become effective at 12:01 a. m. Tues day. January 21. The new rates will particularly interest all mercantile and manufacturing enterprises which avail themselves of the convenience of the telephone in transacting busi- ness affairs between their home es- tablishments and their branch houses and customers fin other cities.
 In pronulgating this order the Post master General has established uni formity in telephone toll charges throughout the United States He has also established certain charges for service which have not applied hith- erto and he has divided telephone toll service. into three periods of the 24- hour day, with particular rates to gov ern during each period, so far as number calls are concerned. This latter feature of the order is well worth close study by those who use telephone toll service.
 Within each of the three periods referred to, there are several classes of service created by this order with parti2ular charges for each class. The
 class ot service to be first considered. becanse it is that most commonly used, will be known as the station to station" service. And the rate for this class will be known as the station to station" rate.
 The station to station" rate will apply when a person makes a toll call, without specifying a parttcula" person to be reached at the called telephone, and when the connection is established and the conversation held This method provides the cheapest and quickest form of telephone toll service.
 "Statcn to station calls should be made by giving the telephone number of the called telephone. Where the telephone number is not known and telephone directory information is not available, the name and address
 of the called subscribed should be given to the toll operator Another class of service will be known as the "person to person" ser vice and the rate for this service will be known as the "person to person" rate.
 For toll calls on which the calling party expresses a desire to talk to particular person and the connection is established and conversation held with that person, the person to per son" rate will apply. As this service requires a, greater amount of operat- ing effort, the rate for such calls will
 be about one-fourth greater than the station to station" rate.
  rate will be 20 per cent. and no per son to person" calls will be accepted where the station to station" rate is less than 15 cents.
 Another interesting feature of the postmaster-gen order is the es- tablishment of an "appointment l rate" The appointment rate" will apply to toll calls, made in a "parson to person. basis and on which the calling party, in placing the call, des- ignates a definite time at which he
 will talk with the called party and on which the converse tion is held at the specified time.
 Obviously the appointment ser vice involves the making of the ap- polntment in addition to the operat- u
 person to person call. Conse-
 quently the appointment" rate is about one-half greater than the "sta- ton to station" rate which, 1t must l be borne in mind. is the base rate upon which all rates for the various classes of service offered, are com puted.
 The minimum appointment" rate | will be 25 cents and no "appoint-
 ment' call will be accepted where the ''station to station" rate is less than IS cents,
 A messenger call" rate Is lso pre- vfded In the new regulations. When 6 toll call is made on a person to person" basis and mes senger service Is required to secure
 the attendance of the designated per son at the nearest available telephone
 the messenger ean'' rate, which is ] the same as the "appeintment' rate, will apply, An additional charge is l made for the messenger service. The | minimum messenger calf' rate will be 25e and no messenger eall'' will be accepted where the station to sta tIlu' rate is less than 15e U pIOfIuS TSdSDn&Dl6 C6n l. tion for the operating work perform ed on toll calls, other than those | made on station to station basis where the desired connection is es- tabiished, but conversation is not held because of any reason beyond the | control of the telephone comBaHv. a l report charge vii be made. This i charge also is a new feature in te1e- phone practice. The report charge"
 will be equivalent to about one fourth of the station to station" day
 rate: In no case will the "report sharge" be less than ten cents. nor
 more than s2.oe: Of course, the
 maximum report charge" will apply only on calls of great distances, As stated, tRe 24-heur day is divid fd into three periods with varying
 rates, but it must be understood that
 day rates will apply on all calls other than those made on a station to statsn' calls eniT. ~m be sssa.ss