The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-09-26
COMMENSURATE SERVICE

COMMENSURATE SERVICE
AS all readers of the newspapers know,
the telephone company has gone before the
state corporation commission, loaded with
plants and sobs and sighs, cooked and
primed with promises and asked that it be
allowed to increase its rates in order that 1t
may give the people better service.
And all readers of the newspapers know,
also, that Art Walker, of the commission,
has put the telephone company on the
defensive through notifying it, through its
proper officers, to appear and show cause
why the rates already existing, should not be
lowered in place of being raised.
AS mentioned in this column few days
ago, the phone users of this and other states
were assured some months ago that they
would be given better service, if the ad-
vanced rates, as inflicted by Postmaster Cen
eral Burleson, were permitted to stand, while
the first intimation Of good service, of any
thing nearly approaching good service, has
been withheld until another rate-hike may
be ordered.
The Ardmorete does not believe that
there is a man IN the state of Oklahoma who
is phone user, who woulo kick on paying
advanced phone oolls if he was given in
a run for his money.
But the telephone company like all other
public service corporations has ever been
found long on promises and short on fulfill
ment of promises Hence it woulo be safer,
far safer to mold up any proposed additional
rate permit until The management of the
different branches shall demonstrate that the
company is in real earnest through giving
of +,o4 hat+a %
promised, some of that better service which
has become a standing joke.
1t seems to us that we were assured. be-
fore the government granted the railways the
increase asked in freight ana passenger traf-
fics on interstate business tha. the shipping
and travelling public would receive good
service. 1t seems TO US that we were assured
of the same thing when the corporation COM
mission was asked to grant the same pro rata
Of increase on intrastate business. And were
the question asked today, Where is that
better serice?" the echo would be worked
overtime repeating, "Where?"
1t was old Phineas 7. Barnum who said
something about the American public liking
to be humbugged. He was doubtless right
in the abstract. But when the humbugging
goes TO such an extent that the public is
plainly shown by all public service corpora
tions that it may be damned, it is time for the
worm to turn long enough to see to it that
the humbuggery be stopped.
We are told by the telephone people that
Increase in cost Of material and great ad-
vances in salaries paid operators demand and
necessitate bigger rentals in order that bet
ter service be rendered. But when the
phone user asks for any better equipment he
is stalled Off while the salaries PAID the
girls at the switchboards are so grossly mad
equate that none of them can afford to stick
with their jobs long enough to develop the
true efficiency which must be found in the
operators who can give the public the gooc
service which the company promises.
The telephone company tells us that it i:
earning only four per cent return upon it
investment, and submits figures bearing ou
this statement. But at the same time i
acknowledges that these figures are for loca
rents alone and do not include the returns
accruing from long-distance tolls.
Might it not be we'll for Mr.. Walker anC
his associates when the case Of the telephone
company is called, October 4. TO require sub
mission of all the figures, ong-distance a
well as local, in order that it may know jus
what the real per cent of profit is?
An accountant Investigating the affairs o
private concern would do this. A boar,
of directors making the financial statemen
Of bank, or of chain of banks would d
this. So why should not the corporation com
mission, before granting any increase in rates
also do this?
There can be no legitimate excuse for tn
telephone company receiving va increase i