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UOO) have been installed bo that peo
ple can get a sufficient number of
Jocal connections to insure the aver
age use of thirty minutes" per telc--phone
day. "Up to that point, a low
flat rate of not to exceed $2 per
month for single lines, $1.25 for two
Tarty and 75 cents for four-party
lines will have to be charged.
-These fixed charges are so low
i;hat they do not represent a burden
on the telephone users who already
have the Bell telephone, because the
$2, $1.25 and 75 cents per month for
single, two-party and four-party tele
phones, respectively, pay for having
the second telephone, with free in
coming service, and the subscriber's
name in the directory.
N one who has ever tried for half
an hour to get some one whose' line
was continuously busy will doubt
the need of a second telephone en
trance, even to residences.
Chicago's golden opportunity
awaits her at this moment, when the
Illinois Telephone & Telegraph Com
pany is trying to sell out to the Bell,
which company would,, if it did here
as it did in other cities where it has
bought out the automatic exchanges,
dismantle and junk this ' modern
plant, which is the foundation for the
finest telephone plant in the world.
There is a well founded belief that
municipalities should not enter fields
that are being well served by other
agencies, so long as a very high de
gree of efficiency is maintained by
those agencies entrusted with the
duty of serving the people. Here we
have a different case, where a large
company, owned principally in the
East, insists on giving us service,
which at itsest does not represent
33 per centfficiency compared with
the quality of service being rendered
ovef the automatic systems here, and
in 100 American and 3 or more for
eign cities. This may be Jiard to be
lieve, but it is absolutely true and
can be easily demonstrated for any
one who wishes to see the proof.
Chicago owes it'to'its people to
step in and acquire the automatic
telephone system of the Illinois Tele
phone & Telegraph Company, then
issue small denomination bonds that
will be purchased by the telephone
users and the public and extend the
automatic system. Chicago gave this
company a telephone franchise in
1899, and it has been fourteen years
building an underground railroad,-in-to
which it has sunk enough money
to install a million automatic tele
phones. The Illinois Telephone & Telegraph
Company, of the Tunnel Company as
it is commonly known, has never
made a serious effort commensurate
with its obligation, to give the citi
zens telephone competition. It has
just put in enough telephones to keep
its franchise, and id not actually do
that in the required time for it did not
have 20,000 telephone subscribers on
June 1, 1911, or for several months
thereafter, unless we count as tele
phones several thousand instruments
delivered to houses and never con--nected.
I repeat again that Chicago should
acquire the automatic telephone sy&;
tem and give the' people the benefit
of modern and efficient telephone
service. We have the right ,undef he
forfeiture clause to take-it! The com
pany knew its obligation under this'
clause when it accepted the fran-"
chise, and if it was not constitutional,,
as the tunnel people Jiowr claim, it'
had no right tg be then.
If this clause js not valid, it is my
opinion "that neither is any other part
of the f rapchise valid, arid" .the com
pany has a plant-without a franchise,
but, be that as it may, the city can
declare a first right to purchase the
telephone,"property and shoufd do so,
andtthen extend the automatic serv
ice to all parts of the city.
Large firms could purchase and
own. their private, automatic systems"
and connect with the citytelepbone
service, thus being able to have auto
matic intercommunicating service atr
a very low cost, as no operators are
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