Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-09-01
COMPANY
ANNOUNCES CUT.
In ITS RATES.


eral readjustment in long distance
rates, and in the evening and night
period during which reduced rates
apply, are announced by the Mountain
States Telephone and Telegraph COM
pany The changes are effective on
calls from points in the Mountain
States Territory tC POINTS in sae ter
ritory of any other associated com"
pany. They are made, the company
states, for the benefit of users of
long distance service and to elimi-
nate service difficulties which the
present schedule has brought about.
The net result of the readJustment
in rates will be a saving to the tele-
phone users of the country of ap-
proximately three million dollars
year. To points outside the territory
of the Mountain States company and
150 miles or more distante the rates
are substantially red u ced d. The
greater the distance, the greater the
reduction. For example, from Phoe-
nix to Los Angeles the basic station
to-station rate will be $I.S5 instead
of $2.35; to Oklahoma City, $3.85 IN
stead OF $5.35; to St. Louis, $5.75 in
stead of $8.15; to Chicago, $6.45 I'M
stead of 1920; to New York, $9.4O in
stead of $13.65. Long distance cables,
carrier systems, vacuum tube repeat
ers, loading coils and other improved
devices and methods, resulting from
continuous scientific research and de-
velopment applied t., ,ne telephone
industry, have effected economies or
the longer circuits, and have a share
in making these reductions possible.
A few rates for distances between "a
and 110 miles will be adjusted to
make the schedule consistent through
out, but in these cases the increase Of
the basic station-to-station rate will
be only five cents.
One Of the interesting chages from
the publics viewpoint is that by
which one and half hours have
been added to the reduced rate pc
riod. Reduced rates on station-to-
station calls will begin at Z D. M
instead of $3.50 p. m, as formerly.
Between Z p. m. and $3.50 D. m. the
discount will be approximately 25 per
cent of the day station to station
rates, and from $50 p. m. TO 4:su
a. M. about SO per cent of the day
rates. These discounts will apply
where the day, station-to-station rate
or 40 cents or more, with a minimum
reduced rate of S5 cents Because of
the unsatisfactory service conditions
which it brought about, the existing
midnight discount is discontinued.
Lowest Rates at Eight-tIlirty
Under the new schedule station-to-
station calls may be made at SUP
stantial reductions as early as u
M, and persons wishing to atke ad-
vantage of the lowest rates of the
"a hours may make their calls any
time after $3.50 p. my Thus, although
the midnight discount is discontinued
the longer reduced rate period and
the substantial reductions applying in
basic rates to distant points mean
that this change will make little dif-
terence in the cost of night calls
by this move the company expects
to improve service by eliminating
complications at midnight which have
resulted in delays and put a heavy
burden on it's facilities and employas
At the more important centers If m.
meant retaining large force OF
young women operators to care for =
sudden and short-lived burst of trar-
fic. During much of the time tbe
operators kept on duty in anticina
ton of this temporary rush have had
little to do, then a short period In
which they have been entirely too
busy to give the best service. and
following that sharp tapering off in
business at an early morning hour
when few of the girls could return
to their homes.
With this condition growing more
pronounced, the company has been
facing difficult and serious respon-
sibility. 1t has become necessary to
maintain dormitories in the larger
central offices in which MANY on
orators, required only for "a short ne
r1od, have been housed for the rest of
the night. These hours of duty have
of course, been undesirable and hard
to fill. The spreading of teh LONG
distance traffic over the lenethanaa
reduced rate period will relieve this
'E,Un, Rcvc,s., D-.u,, I8lA
Another change that will be well
coined is the extension of the pdivi-
leging of reversing charges to include
station-to-s station calls-whether pIac-
ed during the day. evening or night
where the rate is 20 cents or more
In the last few yaers the use of long
distance service has been increasing
constantly and many situations now
arise where the reversal of charges
is of advantage to the customer who
calls for certain number. Hence
this privilege is an added convent.
ence and saving to the public.