The Washington herald., 1920-05-07
Chesapeake and Potomac
) Company Tells Why 1t
5 Asks Higher Rates.
NEED MORE, OPERATORS
Spent s2O6,OOO Maintain
] ing 487 Out-of-Town
!. Workers. Months.

- Reasons why the Chesapeake and
Potomac Telephone Company should
be granted an increase in rates
fvere presented to the Public Utii-
tiles Commission in the board room
fof the District Building yesterday
by officials of the company. The
Hearings probably will sbe con-
seluded today.
= The feature Of the afternoon ses-
Sion was the testimony of A G..
SStannard, general superintendent of
strafic, who told the commission Of
the company's expenditures toward
fobtaining, training and retaininE
.tthe services of telephone operators,
" Huge Sum spent In Training.
Stannard said It was extremely
/. unlikely" that the company would
) get operators in Washington at the
present time. It costs the company
approximately $14 q week to main
tain its 4S7 out-of-town operators.
he said Figures of maintenance
for a period of seven months totaled
-s2o6.000.
= Stannard told the commission that
The local force now numbered 53s.
The number being inadequate 70
meet the city's needs. Operators on
Bell System telephones in other
cities were brought to Washington
an order to relieve the dearth of
slocal employees. he said. but were re-
sturned to their own stations. where
shortage OF labor was felt like
swise.
= Inducements to enter the tele-
phone service have been offered by
sthe company, II. was stated, in ad-
ySertising. bonuses and increased
Salaries.
= Despite the efforts Of the COM
epsny to increase its force of opera
Stors, the witness said. one out of
Severy four left the company during
sor after the training period.
= II. c. Gretz, cheif accountant of
: the company. declared there was no
return on the S2O6, 900 spent on en-
: ployes' maintenance.
y Stannard said there had been a
material increase in telephone traf-
nc during the past four mnoths. as
compared with the similar preced-
ling period.
. Gives Detailed Expenditures
F. NJ. Craft, equipment engineer,
gave a detailed summary Of expen-
ditures of the company for property
not uSeIul IOE SeTN-
lice now. Deductions for these items
stOtaled $I,s5O.Oe0. Purchase of two
department houses for housing op-
? orators brought here from other
cities, private-branch exchanges no
longer used by the government, ad-
: ditions to buildings, improvements
, and alterations made because of
war demands are among the items
Z whose cost is deducted from the
cOmpany's valuation.
= Statistics on telephone calls by
1.-THE government were not obtafnable
kwhen William Mex. Clayton, rep
Presenting the Federation of Citizens
AssOciations. asked for them. Such
tails were not handled on a fat rate
basis and could not be checked up
at present. Stannard explained.
- The morning session of the hear
sing was occupied for the most part
~by the testimony of Chief Accountant
sGretz.
= Gretz explained that the chief
claim of the company to higher rates
was that it was now earning slight
fly more than l per cent yearly. 1t
was stated that the company's net
I return would be S152.523 IL earn
Eings during the seven months of
government control continued for
Z twelve months
Z Increased rates, Gretz said. would
give the company 100000 more an
nually. or a gross return of s6O5 900