To the Bditor of the "Nonen-Cutwa Datty News."
Si,—The Telephone Company] thas ent a circular to the subscribers informing them that with the "approval of the 8. Bf. C. the rates will be raised from January Land that a deposit of Tls. 10 per Tine must be made. Tt is very well for the Telephone Ca. to. raise the rates, the shareholders will be glad of a bigger dividend, but what about the subscribers? Docs the service given by the Telephone Company] Justify an increase in the rates charged? In my opinion decidedly Noy" the service instal of getting: Dotter, is getting worse every day, three wrong connexions a day is nothing out of the ordinary, the continual ringing of the bell while 4 Gonversation is on is a nuisance, fand being disconnected during a conversation is worse still. This is happening every day and until all: these faults are abolished no inefease should be asked for.
The Council in allowing the increase should have considered the position of the ordinary subscriber. Everything in Shanghai is being raised, the prices for food, rents, and: of all the necessities for lite are continually going up, the only thing that is not being raised, are!
laties.. If askin for an in-these, one usually gets the! reply, the times bad, business dead, we-cannot give you a higher salary.' But as the prices for everything else are being raised, how shall the ordinary householder make two ends meet? I therefore protest against an increase in the telephone rates'a5 well as against asking for deposit to be If the Telephone Company need capital, let them ask the sharcholders to' provide same and not the public to pay Tls. 10 free of inter-lest to swell the Telephone Company's fonds, and to give them a cheap. working capital. I hope that other people. will join in this protest and thereby force the Telephone Company to adhere to the old rates, which are high enough for the rotten, service the subscribers are receiving.
Thanking you for the space you have given me, and enclosing my card.
Tam, ete., Protest.
Shanghai, Dee. 6, 1924.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.