Telephony

There is $1,400,000 invested in the teleplione busiui'ï-s In Michigan. The stock is nwned bv s-ome 400citizensof the state, and about 6,400 telephones are in use. The coinpany charges us a reutal of three lullnro n m.itl. for liuuSf HUll tour d"llars for btniiHM places. Out of this they pay tlie Bell company a royalty of $14 per yi-ar for each instrument Xow this charge is exceedingb bigb,bttt it stands in a fair way soon to be redoced, and as the service lias always been efficiënt and accrmmodating it bas generally met the satisfaction of the public. Sliould the Bell company reduce the royalty the state excfaange will undoubtedly lessen their charges. One curious feature of this business is that the larger the exchange, the greater is the pro rata expense of operating It is because of increased couimunication between subscribers. Here in Ann Arbor one operator can manage 100 instrnUieul, ut ÏLi ti lui LC uity it taUee mi nu1 rator for every 25 i-ubseribeis. Then. too, the expenses of running wiies througli narrow crowded streets and oyer hotlM tops is great. So In those cities the charges are from one to Iwo liundied dollars rental each year. Regardless of this, liowever, tiiere is a bilí before the legislatura to cut clown tbe charge Üuoughoat the state to three dollars a iunth. At ftnttlgbtlt would seem as thourh it would be lor the people's interest to have it passed, but when we consider that it is nol the tuasses who use the telepLoue, but the business public especially, who are willii.g to pay what it is woith to them for prompt and careful service, such interference will not only be useless but possibly hurtful, as it would tend to cheapen the service and perhiips drive it aw:iy fumi many places wliere it is in use. Sueh things shoulii be regnifrcea vy me niw 01 wvpptj anu deniand, and not by lefi'islative solons who know more aboutmost everyold business than they do about some of these newest and most woiulerful improvements and invcntions.