South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-06-08
City Winds Up Preliminary
Fight Against Phone Boost
Evidence of Junkng Valuable Property Duplication of Lines
and Very Poor Service Presented to Commission
Case Will BE Reopened Later.

Fate nearing case in one AhlAu llF
time that 70 took the utility COM
pany to present its detailed facts 20
Glen Van Auken. member OF the
commission before whom the case
was tried.
The cities acting Jointly, however
reserved right previously offered
by the commissioner 10 present
further evidence az Il subsequent
date. That time Will be decided by
the commission after the transcript
OF the present evidence has been
submitted. and an investigation con-
Quoted by the commissions engin-
GERS as 20 the amount OF duplicate
property ia the two cities as the re-
suit OF the merger Of the old Home
Telephone CO. and the receivers Of
the Central Union Co. with the In
diana Bell system.
Valuable Property Junked
The municipalities testimony We'd
nesday had)to do with the service.
and duplication OF equipment Also
w. l. Chandler. assistant secretary
and treasurer OF the Dodge Mig Co.
OF Misha waka. presented strong
circumstantial evidence as 90 the
finding OF thousands OF rounds OF
copper and iron wire in a dump
east OF the city near the Orphans
Home bridge. Photographs of the
coiled wire were filed as exhibits as
also were letters protesting against
the service received in the two
cities.
Thomas Beaning. city electrician.
testified as 20 the amount OF dupli-
cation OF poles and ccnduits and
cables which he said was extensive
IL some parts Of the city both aerial
and underground. In many places.
he declared there were two pole
lines where one lire would take
care OF all the wires used by the
telephone company.
Soil conditions were such. he de-
clared. that his judgment was that
the ordinary average life OF a line
OF telegraph poles was % years.
whereas the telegraph companys
expert had declared il to be but 10
years.
Concerning the duplication I'm the
underground system. Mr.. Beaning
observed that q was his best iudg-
ment that IN many places the cables
in both conduits could be consoli-
dated into one. and that there also
might be the one conduit left over.
Service Condemned
Cyrus r. Pattee. county attorney.
was called as witness concerninc
the service he had obtained out of
his telephone He said that for a
period OF six months his telephone
had been continuously out Of order,
and that for 10 days prior to Tues
day he had not had service over the
telephone Finally a man did come
10 repair IL. ne said, but the extern
sion vet was out Of commission Mr.
Pattee declared that he went 10 use
the telephone Tuesday and discover
ed that every one Of the sets in on
the second floor OF the odd Fellows
gliding was not in working order
Atty. Thompson. counsel for tho
Indiana Bell. asked the commission
10 set a definite date as a time limit
for the further presentation of evil
dence by the cities. declaring how
ever that he did not wish 10 press
them unreasOnably After a consul
tatiOn. however. the commissioner
declared he would fix the date after
the transcript had been sent 10 the
city and the commissions engineers
have examined into the duplication
OF system in this city.
City Atty Charles w Bingham.
OF Mishawaka. testified as 10 the
character OF the services received
by him personally Mayor Seebirt
testified shat building operations
were being limited as much as pos
sible 20 those sections wherein utiH-
ties already had advanced improve
ments
Subscribers VIII Pay.
Irate telephone subscribers or
dering phones discontinued because
Of rate increases do not usually carry
out their threats but have service
reinstaued on a four party line at a
cheaper rate, G. W. Romine. rate en-
gineer for the Indiana Bell Tele-
phone company told the Public Ser
vice Commission Wednesday morn
ing.
Mr.. Romine did not couch his re-
mark IN such language. but the ef-
feet OF his testimony was that the
telephone company expected a tenn
porary loss IN revenue from sub
scr1bers who ordered their tele-
phones dismantied. but previous ex-
perience had shown that IN the ma
jority OF such cases the subscriber
has reconsidered and ordered his
service reinstated on some cheaper
level
Says Rate Reasonable.
The proposed new rates. Mr. RO-
mine admitted without the least
trace Of hesitation. were well worth
the value OF the service TO the sub
scriber. and while this rate structure
which he himself had devised a.
rate engineer would pay 6 net return
OF 80 percent on the investment. II
really was not a fair one 20 :he com
pany.
The testimony OF Mr.. Romine con-
Guided the petitioners case. and the
two cities fighting the proposed ad-
vance which has been generally
maintained by commercial interests
and residents as wholly unreasonable
began presentation OF facts for the
commission which are not as rosy
and favorable 70 the utility as their
employees revealed.
Frank Green. business manager OF
the Chamber of Commerce. was the
arst witness 20 testify. Mr. Green
said he personally had made q
check on the various switchboard Ak
changes IN South Bend and gave the
telephone people the result OF his in
Fsstigations.
The majority OF the complaints
Mr. Green stated. were on the oper-
alton OF calls between manual and
automatic swltchboards or from
automatic 10 automatic The only