Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1919-05-01
|HY TELEPHONE RATES
RE TO Be INCREASED
ounting Costs of Operation,
Due Almost Wholly to Higher
Wages, Make Additional Rev
enue a Necessity, and Sub
Scribers Must Provide 1t

n explanation of the in
ease in telephone rates, Manager Rus
| said to a Free Press man yesterday:
obvious. The company must get in
eased revenue in order to meet in
eased costs. Practically all of these
creased costs are represented by wage
creases. The company's only sources
revenue are the payments made by
patrons. 1t asks them only for such
(ditional revenue as is necessary to
Get existing conditions. and it has en-
favored to apply these increases equit-
bly, to all classes of service. These
anges. as far as they apply in the Bur
lgton exchange, may be briefly sum-
ariZed as follows:
Business subscribers to regular eX-
Aange service are advanced 80 cents
fr month, for either two party or one
krty line service, and residence sub
ribcrs, under the new schedule, would
y - cents per month increase. EXten-
on telephone service is advanced -
nts per month for both business and
sidenco telephones.
''The subscribers to private branch
change inter-communicating systems
i'll pay for both-way trunks at the
gular individual line fiat rate. plus sc
ar cent. his owing to the fact tina,
ore calls may be handled over trunks
pnnected to a private branch exchange
an over an equal nuilber of individ-
hi lines. There also is an increase on
ich branch telephone. A subscriber to
is class of service has, however, an
Dtion of taking a measured service con
act if, in his opinion. it will be advan-
lgeous to do so. If he elects to sub
tribe to measured service, his present
Ked charge is not increased; in fact, his
Junk line will be reduced to $500 pei
onth and there will be no increase or
he branch telephones. a little study o.
subscribers outward calls will deter
inc whether a measured service con
act with excess calls at four cents
hch would be more economical than un-
Enited service at "A higher fixed charge
here is no measured service on regu'
r exchange lines for business or resi-
ence service, and the telephone ma,
used for an unlimited number of loca
Ills, the same as heretofore,
1.-the change in the mileage charge t
lbscribcrs whose telephones are located
cyond prescribed central office areaI
imply Sandwiches our mileage rate t,
nat of the rest of the country, ant
us il on practically the basis of som
ears ago.
For the last 40 years the rates TO
klcphonc service have been revise
Onward, From my personal r~ccollec
on this is the first increase in eX
hange rates with the exception of tn
bolishment of the old siX-party bushes
ATE. Subscribers in Burlington vii
oubtless remember, about IL years age
hen individual line service cost $42 pc
ear and two-party service cost S36 an,
%ytension telephones cost S12 per year
& recently as two years ago the rat
Or PBX stations was reduced from 500
500 per year. But in common wit
ractically all lines of industry, the in
reased costs of furnishing telephon
cryice has made an increase in rate
Imperative,
THE telephone organization Is practi
ally the last one to come forward an
six for increased revenues &. enable
meet - increased costs. We woul
ave had TO do so long ago were 1t nc
or the fact that, in the early days &
he war, our officials advised n policy
economy and conservation which ever
mploye of the company has since re
giously followed until the general fee
me- was that further effort in this direC
ion would seriously impair the servic
% the public. Therefore, as the govern
I1ent must meet these increased costs {
peration, it has asked us to obtain froi
he service such additional revenue &
will enable it to do So"