Salt Lake Telegram | 1918-11-21 | Page 6 | Increase in Wire Rates Brings Protests

INCREASE IN WIRE RATES BRINGS PROTESTS Advances Are Regarded as Tentative and to Be Settled Later. By Associated Press. WASHINGTON, Nov. 21. Increase! In telephone rates ranging from .14 tc 1$ per cent ordered In certain sectlont by Pout master General Burlesog through state utility commissions are drawing sharp protests from soma ol the state authorities. This waa disclosed dis-closed today, after tha post off ice department de-partment had made public k telegrair sent to the Oregon public aervlca commission com-mission Jn response to a complaint that tha method of making Increases ( there was Irregular. Without going into the question of hla power to fix rates, Mr. Burleson asked the Oregon commission to consider con-sider the new schedule there aa regu-1 regu-1 laxly f.led so that there may be no In- term pt Ion of service or loss to the government, and that employee may not be deprived of increased wages already granted. W. H. lamar. solicitor for the department de-partment and member of the wire control con-trol f ininiiii..Al ra"i l'ny lht .ft ln-creases ln-creases conipluined of all have been authorized after the companies concerned con-cerned had estimated additional revenues reve-nues needed to meet Increased labor and material costs. He aaid atate -utilities commissions had aa e re-fused re-fused to allow uny of the incres.se asked and that consequently the question ques-tion of whether the postmaster gen eral's authority was sufficient to establish es-tablish increased rates, even ia the far of stain and munirlnat onosition. had not been passed upon. AH increases are regarded aa tentative ten-tative and provisional, Mr. Ianiar added, to he definitely settled by the I rate standardization and unification i plans now being worked out.