Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1919-02-04

slOnS in Illinois, Nebraska, New Jer-
sey, Indiana, Missouri and other
states; that is, that the rates are in
creased from 20 to 100 per cent. The
effect of the order of the Postmaster
General is to increase charges for tele-
phone service covering the bulk of
traffic and making charges for certain
service which heretofore were free"
At least nine other state public SER
vice commissions have instigated legal
proceedings to prevent the enforce
ment of the new rates. In comment
ing upon its action in challenging
Postmaster General Burleson's pro-
gram, the Nebraska commissioners is
sued the following statement:
THE Postmaster General has enter
ed into compe1 sation contracts with
companies without making
any audit of their books or survey of
their properties. The Postmaster
General has increased the EXISTING
charges and has made new charges
for service heretofore free without
substantial investigation of their ne
cessity and practicability. The Post
master General has conducted the tel
ephone business without affording the
The public protests against the new
rates take on the air of indignation
because of the attempt on the part of
the Postmaster General to make ii ap-
pear that the new rates are a decrease.
To illustrate what are the real facts
it is only necessary to compare the
new rates in action with the old.
Under the old order if John Brown
wished to talk to William Smith, he
might put in call for William Smith;
that is, he might ask the operator not
only to get the number at which Will
liam Smith might be called, but to call
William Smith himself, to the phone.
Or John Brown might want to talk to
William Smith at a certain hour and
he could make an appointment to have
William Smith put on the phone at
that hour Or he might want to have
William Smith call him at a certain
hour, and have William Smith call
him, with the charges reversed. Any
one, or all of these things, John Brown
might have done under the old sche-
dule without any extra charges over
the published rates for a three min
ute talk.
Now it is different. Under Postmas-
ter General Burleson's new schedule,
John Brown cannot talk to William
Smith unless he puts in what is now
designated person TO person" call
The rate for such call is 20 per cent
greater than the minimum rate for a
three minutes conversation. The
only service John Brown can now get
for the minimum rate is what is known
as a station to station" call This
merely entities him to call telephone
number and talk to whoever answers
the phone. as only an infinitely small
number of long distance telephone
calls are for anyone there" at the
number called, the number of cases
where Mr. Burlesons new minimum
rate will apply, will be practically
negligible.
Not only must John Brown pay ex-
ira to have William Smith put on the
phone, but if he wishes to have Mr..
Smith put on the phone at a particu-
lar time, than another additional rate
is charged, known as an appointment
rate" Moreover, if John Brown calls
for Mr.. Smith and the operator reports
that he is not there, and Mr. Brown
has the operator ascertain when he
will be there, Mr.. Brown is charged
an extra fee for this service which is
known as the report charge"
All of these various services have
been rendered by the telephone COM
panies without extra charge, and as
the majority of long distance calls in
cludes at least one, and maybe all of
these services, the actual increase in
rates under Mr.. Burleson's new tele-
phone order approximates nearly 100
per cent
Another point upon which an effort
was made to mislead the public was
in the statement that the night rates
are so much lower than formerly
This is true only on station to sta
ton" calls. Where John Brown SIM
ply asks for telephone number with
out asking for anyone in particular,
or making any appointment, the rate
is cheaper. On all long distance calls
at night, regardless of the time of
night, where the party calling asks for
some person in particular, or asks in
formation regarding some party, or
seeks to make an appointment with
some party, there is no reduction from
the day rate.
In the larger sense there is the men
ace of an autocracy established under
the pretense that it is necessary to
make the world safe for democracy.
That is the issue which the various
state commissions are bringing into
the federal courts. No one believes
the administrations seizure of the
telephone systems of the country was
war necessity, but having used the
war as a camouflage to get control of
this vast public utility it remains to
be decided whether that autocratic
power can be indefinitely extended /
into the era of peace and used to suit
the personal caprice of one man or
advance the political fortunes of a
clique. at an added cost to the public .
Of millions of dollars, and, at the same
time, lessened quality of public SER
vice, and in defiance of all state laws
and regulations.
Blackheads, blotches and pimples
are generally caused by the improper
action of the bowels. HOLSTERS
Rocky Mountain Tea regulates the
lOxVn1c alnanr bo