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ORDINANCE REQUIRES 'PHONE IMPROVEMENT
BY HAROLD D. STROUD
In the Chicago Telephone's ordi
nance made, effective November 6,
1907, and to which there has been no
contrary amendment, It says:
5. Company to adopt Improve
ments and Make Extensions The
Chicago Telephone Company shall,
without extra charge therefor to itss
lessees, subscribers and patrons or
the "City of Chicago, at all times
maintain its plant, system, wires,
cables, electrical conductors and
other equipment and service at the
iighest practicable efficiency, and to
that end shall promptly adopt and
put into use within the city of Chi
cago all available imp roved apparatus,
appliances, equipment and methods
of service, developed in the progress
of the art of telephony, which shall
have come into common use from
time to time, or if experience has
shown them to be practicable, and
shall furnish the same to its said
lessees, subscribers and patrons with
in said City of Chicago. Said Chi
cago Telephone-Company shall at-all
times during the period 'of this grant
so operateits plant, systems, wires,
cables, electrical conductors and
other equipment as to give to its said.
lessees,, subscribers and patrons the
best service possible under then ex
isting conditions of the art of tele
phony. Clause 17. Forfeiture-The Chi
cago Telephone Company by the ac
ceptance of this ordinance expressly
agrees that In the event It shal make
default in the observance or perform
ance of any one or more of the agree
ments, duties or obligations imposed
upon it by any of the provisions of
this ordinance, and if any such de
fault or defaults shall continue for a
period of three (3) months (exclu
sive of all times .during which the
company may be delayed or inter
fered with, without its connivance, by
unavoidable accidents, labor strikes,
or tie orders or judgments of any
court entered In any suit brought
without its connivance), after writ
ten notice thereof to it from the city
of Chicago, then and in each and
every case the said city of Chicago
by its city council shall be entitled to
declare this grant and all the rights
and privileges of said Chicago Tele
phone Company hereunder to main
tain and operate its system of wires,
cables, electrical conductors, poles
and conduits in any of the streets,
alleys, tunnels or public ways in the
said city of Chicago, to be forfeited
and at an end.
The city of Chicago has spent
thousands and thousandspf dollars
of the people's money, and have
caused to be spent through appraisals
and investigations thousands and
thousands more, and, after all of this,
what has it amounted to? There
has been a delay of three years m
making a revision of the rates, so
that the next revision is several years
away, In the meantime the Chicago
Telephone Company may enjoy im
munity as far as fair rates are con
cerned but it is cleariy-up to the new
telephone commissioner an'd the city
fathers to serve notice upon the Chi
cago Telephone Company that 'it
must improve its apparatus.
Automatic telephones are not an
experience any longer and if the city
of Chicago will appoint a real sincere
investigation committee to look into
the question of efficiency or appara
tus they will find, independent of
their own investigation, that noted
engineers throughout the world have
approved automatic equipment, and
engineers from the British govern
ment, from" France, Australia, Can
ada, South America, Cuba and a
number of other countries-, .have ap
proved the adoption of automatic
equipment for their countries.
This is not a matter to be treated
lightly, especially in our larger cities
where the telephone service Is getting
near the point where it will be ab-
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