Show 44 GREAT CHANGE IN BELL T LEI LE-I PHONE POLICY I The most Important change In the policy of tho Hell I Telephone company for thirty years has Just been announced an-nounced I I The repoit thnt the t Western Klec vie I company tiio concern that manu I facttitcH tho apparatus used by Bell j roinpanlcH would hereafter sell tolt1 I phonos nnd supplies to all I buyers Is I confirmed by the president Theodore i N Vail of the American Tel Tel Co nnd Pictddunt Vail explained that I the t idea I had been under consideration I for a long time hut that heretofore one dltllculty had been that the Western West-ern Electric company needed more plant its I I full I I energies being required I by the Hell companies alone This obstacle to doing a general business has been overcome by the recent com1 plot Ion of very large additions to tIn Chicago factory of the Western Electric Elec-tric company and hence It IB now In I a position to take care of outside or dors In icply to n question as to the probable effect of this action on the I revenue of the American Tel K Tel Co Mr Vnll said that no considerable direct Increase was anticipated but t that a great Indirect advantage was looked for finni Improved relations between be-tween the public and all of the associated asso-ciated Doll companies because there has been an entirely erroneous Idea more or less prevalent I that time charges of these companies for their services were based on a monopoly of telephone t Instruments while the fact Is that the Instrument Is but a small Visit of tho plant required In giving telephone service It is felt that this action may cause it to be more clearly iindoi stood by the public pub-lic that tho Bell companies only elnlm for patronage Is based on their ability to furnish the best service at reasonable prices and not on any Instrument In-strument monopoly Mr Vail explained ex-plained that at the present time many inefficient telephone Instruments arc in use on local and private lines and thnt tho Bell companies desire to see those replaced by standard Instruments Instru-ments In Order that they may make traffic connection with the greatest possible number of properly equipped lines assuring proper service and transmission For example there arc thousands of socalled Farmer Lines which will furnish valuable feeders for the toll lines of the larger system sys-tem when properly equipped nnd maintained This situation can now I be provided for through the sale outright I I out-right tof Hell Instruments and apparatus II appar-atus In answer to the question as to whether It was Intended that the Western Electric Co should become an aggressive competitor of the independent in-dependent manufacturers who up to I this time have had a monopoly of I tho selling trade the only reply was that the Hell interests were fully prepared pre-pared either from the manufacturing or operating side of the biiblness to meet all the needs of the public and thnt they wish to demonstrate that they claimed or asked no advantages other than their ability to meet theso needs under square competitive conditions con-ditions of quality and price There would bo no trade war but any manufacture man-ufacture who have been getting higher prices for Inferior goods tin dor tho old monopoly of the soiling trade would naturally suffer the loss of business t |