Show COST PHONE SEVI Cli means a cash loss to mhd community iam SYSTEMS ARE people in general arc worse OH two companies than with one the of chicago one of the great financial authorities of tho country has been analyzing the cst of live telephone companies in cities where the facts permit fair companero and has reached the conclusion that to compney in cne field act the coro inanity much more than ji individual company in other words the comman ity pays more lor two than it doea or one even 11 e compete g company offers a promise of rate redaction la confirmation of this conclusion the economist bays fact is now emerging nith great distinctness tie completion p two telephone companies in one community i corned on at alie expense and to the financial detriment of the community as a whole mr L B i alliot city electrician of chicago called feature 0 iota potion in ft report to the conanon coun cil january 1902 ia which 1 e showed that it cost the city ot cleveland as a whole 90 more ech year to two telephone companies in tl e city than ib would have cost it every 0 balb bad ll 11 e telephone of the bell company at its rates A very recent analysis lifts shown that the telephone users 0 cleveland are now paving an annual premium 0 about tor tl ot eliav ing two one an address by a member ot the city government of east st lou g III recently to tho convention of the league of american allowed it the cleveland experience is duplicated in the smaller after anal izing tl e he said 0 wl ile competition may be said to lav fael one clapa of teaera a ear it costs botler claa of users year the net cost of competition to the east at i uban tl ere forc may be tai 1 to be over 10 a year from the atai dupoint ot tl e ity a whole competition can only 1 e j 1 en a nen company would f equal or belter service at n m i mcnally lower rate anil continue to J oot alie period of its open ton the 1 astory f rate making by ilia independent telephone companies would bearn to indicate that their il rates have been established will out s efficient knowledge or proper consider aaion of the conditions and requirements of the business nearly all of the ind pander t companies after a few years oi aeration openly avow a tor in creasing their rates and do eo when not prevented by ordinance aad even in spite of such eions this is irue in places large and adall each s baltimore cleveland bt louis dea moines galesburg franl rapids and many other places in other nords tie Econom mt be alieves thai the independent companies are an outright expense to the corn and their history shows that they must inevitably raise the rates at which they begun business to a higher rata in order to meet operating charge and depreciation of plants it cites as evidence of this the reports of the llin apolis and philadelphia in depend ants which on their face that in sufficient allowance lias been made for maintenance and depreciation and as soon as this is done the rate to the euh sanber must be raised |