The New York herald., 1921-12-29
PHONE RATE INQUIRY
HINT BY UNTERMYER
He Asks P. s. C. What 1t Pro.
poses to Do to Lower Sex
cessive' Tariffs.

In letter to the Public Service Com
mission, made public yeste rday, Samuel
Untermyer. counsel to the Lockwood
legislative committee on housing, again
suggests the installation of slot machines
in every home where they can be ad-
vantageously used" as move to re-
duce cost Of telephone service Mr..
untermyer asks the commission what II
Is doing or proposes to do in regard to
an investigation OF the company's rates,
particularly suburban tolls. His letter
suggests the possibility of an investiga-
tion Of the company's tariff rates unless
the commission is prepared to act. The
letter follows:
THE telephone service has become a
substantial item In the cost of living. II
has grown more and more costly and
inefficient. AS counsel for the joint
legislative committee on housing I had
intended to investigate the subject with
view of recommendations looking to
the Improvement Of the service, the re-
duction Of costs and. more particularly
to insist upon the installation Of sys-
tenn that would give to the users the
means of checking up the charges for
service made against them. which they
now have no way of verifying.
Having regard to the density OF the
traffic there is no city in the world
In which the charges are so high. with
due allowance for the increased con-
veniences and expense Of service on this
account. 1t Is hardly necessary to re-
mind you of the quality of the service.
An apartment house is not to-day livable
until a telephone Is installed. and yet II
still takes months to secure one. But
that is not the main purpose Of this
communication.
why is the company not compelled
to install slot machines in every home
where they can be advantageously used?
II would save millions of dollars an
nually to the users and would reduce
enormously the cost of service. It would
do away with the elaborate bookkeeping
system Of the company. No record would
have to be kept of calls and no bills
rendered or collected.
II have long suspected that the reason
the slot machines are not installed Is
that they would reduce the company's
revenues from the endless mistakes Of
their operators in calling and charging
for the wrong numbers and where there
was no service. and that with a slot
machine installation public opinion
would not support a rental charge such
as the, company Is now permitted to
exact from every household.
THE rates for suburban calls seem
to me also exorbitant, especially where
the stations are a part Of the city sys-
tenn and are owned or controlled by the
City Telephone Company. If there Is
any justification for these tolls to subur-
ban points within a radius of less than
a,,1 x.,ua f,-1v, tha cit II
like to know what It is.
Our committee Is reluctant, for the
reason above stated. to take up this
question and Is hoping that relief will
shortly come from your commission. II
not inconsistent with the plans and pur-
poses Of your commission and pending
investigation or otherwise I shall be
pleased to have your views on this SUBJ
ject and your ideas of what you expect
to accomplish in the direction indicated
as guide to the future action Of the
committee"