Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-03-17

the evening. The association is COM
posed of the managers of the New
England Telephone company and its
! connection companies throughout
the State of which there was a good
| ly representation. A buffet lunch
was served at noon and a supper at
g o'clock in Elks hall.
A program of interest, taking I'D
the many problems of the telephone
| business with discussion and
, speeches by heads of departments
was carried out and was most in
structive.
! The moving session opened with
| an address by w. j. Thompson of
South China. president of the asso-
citation. who presided over the meet
ings. Mr. Thompson gave some in
teresting statistics. He stated that
the total number of telephone ex-
changes in the State is 237. OF these,
80 are New England companies or
controlled by the New England COM
J pany. Seventy-nine of them are
| connecting companies and eight of
| them non-connecting. such as far
mers' lines maintained by commune
| ties.
! The morning session opened with
! an address by w. j. Thompson of
| South China. president of the asso-
citation. who presided over the meet
ings, Mr.. Thompson gave some in
teresting statistics. He stated that
the Total number of telephone OK
changes in the State is 2337 with 10S,-
Ssh subscribers. OF these, $50 ex-
| changes are of the New England
company or controlled by them and
the subscribers number 9O2S6. There
are 70 connection companies with
1921 subscribers and eight nom
! connecting companies with 3,U7
subscribers
In 1927 in the Bell system in the
! United States there were 13.3S0, 900
telephones or one TO every eight of
! the population. The rest of the
| world has one to every 80 peop'e.
| This shows that two-thirds of the
telephones of the world are used by
1-16 of the population.
Mr.. Thompson said that the Uni
ted States is practically the only
country that has rural telephone de-
Nelopments. Nearly all of the coun-
tries aside from the United States
has government ownership. Service
in other countries. lie said. is under
such different rules that it is hard or
rather impossible to compare rates.
At the business session. several
! changes in the bylaws We're dis
cussed as well as other matters Of
! interest. The roll call showed the
| following Representatives of the var
| ious companies present. OF the New
! England company: George +. Hdg-
/ erman. George a. Beale. George X.
Manson, George X. Grant. all of
Boston; james Mcdonald. Bangor;
I Dean Small. George CroWell, Charles
| T. Dufresne. Portland; +. |. Herbert,
Bangor; Linn r. Wood and l.. Z.
Graffam. Watervile; Mrs. Nellie NJ.
Cartrct of the Baldwin and SebaSo
company; a. Van DcnkcrhoNen rep
resenting the Bethel, the Bethel and
Newry, the Mason and Grover Co.,
the Mount Abraham Co. the North
vest Bethel Co, and the Van Tele-
phone company: w. j. Thompson of
the China Telephone company; A. NJ.
Fogg of the East Hebron and the
Hebron's Home Telephone Co. P. w.
York of the Lcvant; John II. Mcllroy
and II. f.. Foster of the Lewiston.
Greene and Monmouth company: NJ.
l.. Abbott. ". O. Howard and +. NJ.
Buswell representing the Maine Tele-
phone Co, +. w. Mason. the Moose
head Lake Co.. w. II. Lurvey. the
! oxford Co, Miss Mary b. Shepard,
the Saco River Co: II. w. Cousins
and A. +. Winslow. tie Standish Co.;
Rion Wing. the Franklin Farmers
Cooperative Co; A. NJ. Danforth. the
Somerset Farmers Co. and j. II.
Field. the Sidney Co.
There was a general discussion or
the subject. Telephone Conditions in
the state and Outlook for the Year
1922" by managers and officials of the
various telephone companies which
was very optimistic IN its tenor.
The feature of the afternoon was
an address by Hon. Charles r. Cur
ncy. chairman of the Maine Public
Utilities Commission. Mr.. Quincy
discussed the conditions preceding
and leading up to the establishment
Of the Public Utilities Commission
and said that the commission in no
sense feels that it has given express
sion to the legislative intent that call
ed it into being by emphasizing alone
its regulatory powers. That so far
as the facilities at its command make
! ii possible ii desires TO be of service
to the public utilities under its pu-
! risdiction. The public conception of
public utilities has changed from that
of abuse and, hostility to n realiza-
ton that such utilities are public
agencies by forming or rendering
their every day life.
Mr.. Quincy told OF several interest
/ ing experiences of the Public Utilities
Commission in which ii had rendered
satisfactory service TO both parties
! involved. In the matter of telephone
complaints, Mr.. Quincy said that IS
per cent of the complaints were set
tied without public hearing.
Other subjects discussed during the
afternoon were Transmission Main
/ tenance" by George X. Manson, chic
engineer of the New England > ele-
phone and Telegraph company:
Some Legal Aspects Of the Telephone
Business" by George r. Grant, gen.
eral attorney of the New England
companv. CONSTRUCTION and Nainte-