Jan, 15.
The policy of metaphorically taking the public to their bosom, of dispelling the old suspicions of secret diplomacy, and that things are done first and only the excuses for them afterwards made public—the practice, in short, of Simon Pure candour and mammoth publicity, which the Council proclaimed a year or two ago, with enlargement of the Municipal Gazette as a guarantee of good faith: all this is excellently exemplified in the Jongthy statement issued this week on the subject of the Tele phone Ca. and the new rates.
From it we learn that the Council int red and successfully withstood a deputation of. in furiated teashop and restaurant keepers who, with the introduc: don of a message-rate, saw the disappearance of a side line of their own. revents, fu charges to customers for the use of their phones; that the Couneit have not scrupled to tell the Company that they do not think the auto-tie instruments ce tually in use are the best suited to Shanghai; and that, on the whole, they are' satisfied, "on reviewing all the circumstances surrounding the question, that the revise aurecment will ultimately prov in the general interests of the subscribers."
Not to trent serious subjects otherwise than seriously, th Councils statement and accom-
Panying letters from the Com-
Dany are welcome, clear and, we think it must be allowed, con cing. The agitation over the agreement—and we do not forge! that we too were among the Adullamites, though, we protest, not of the most rabid—was due to two basic factors: the int irritation which the telephone micro than almost any of the 20° called conveniences of i tion, pre anda well-grounded suspicion that new ayreenients with public companies "re, from the public viewpoint, a ease of heads win and tails you love. As regards the frst of these, we say frankly that we think the Shanghai tele-Phone service not nearly as bad A it might be and a great deal better than it ix'in some towns. One is apt to forget that the same_anno; i ich in Shanghai occur all big cities, often in a far worse degree, and without the excuse of the special difficulties that exist-here. For example, [the Company speaks feelingly of the polyglot nature of this community and everyone expecting to be answered in his own lange uage. The only operator that at all comes: near seizing this problem is the Chinese, who in turn idiosyneracies. In this connexion, the Company makes an earnest appeal for coion by subscribers, without attempting to repudiate its own responsibility. This is well said. Patience at least (if not putting its hair in curl-papers, like Alice) will do wonders with the telephone. And it is a fact that a half-turn of the handle will bring a call much more quickly than to grind it round ten or twenty times—which does nothing more to attract the operator's attention and only seems te enrage him.
As regards the financial as-' pects of the agreement, there is not much more, except in detail, than is already known to readers of. what appeared these columns a few weeks ago. The same table is given that we printed, showing the relate costs of the telephone in Shang hai and other big cities; and the manner in which twice the number of subscribers means something in the direction of four times the cost, owing to the ever expanding amount of requisite material. is interestingly shown. The special urgency of introducing automatics now is due to the fact of the Company's premises having almost reached their capacity, so that to delay the change would mean extra building. The unsatisfactory experience with the automatics in the Eastern District is dealt with at rear length in the Company' two letters, of which we may, perhaps, say without offence that they leave the average reader not at all wiser than he was before. The Council's dubiety on the matter hax beer mentioned. Hut it is absurd to suppose that the Company would knowingly purchase a plant that was likely to give trouble. What we are rather afraid of is that the automatic may—suffer through those peculiarities of the population of Shanghai ich we all know so well. fs, for example, an accepted fact that certain domestic convenies cannot be installed ese houses owing to the misuse likely to be made of them, and the ensuing probability of the town being devastated with zymotic disease. Who knows but it may be the same with utomatics?—oxeept of course as regards the diseases.
'The Council's pathetic confidence that the best way to make a public company study its customers' interests limit its dividend-earning ca-pacify continues to leave us cold. It may be so in this particular case. Far be it from us to suggest that everybody connected with the Telephone Ca. is not burning with zeal to possible expense, possible hours, xo that the sub-possible re! quennial rate rev'
And tong may the golilen age of such devoted servente of the public "flourish like the green bay horse." But, speaking generally, to talk of incenti to companies to study the int holders, when the chief incentive is taken away, makes the ce ners of one's mouth twitch. On other hand. no ratepayer wishes the Council to buy out the Compaay: for, the Electriei Department notwithstanding, the general wisdom is against ipal trading. Equally, no one likes public companies running as independent affairs, controlled only by a charter through which any agile-witted manager can bore fifty holes. This is averted by means of Council representation on the Telephone Co.'s Board, and the Company's books at all times open to Coun-oil auditors. Tit the agree-meat is in the nature of a compromise, ay blessed a word as Mesopotamia itself, with the additional advantage that both Coureil Company have evidently arrived at it with the least possible friction and may surely be counted on to carry it out in the best of tempers, Whenee the ratepayer, that poor hipping-post for the quarrellings of the great ones of earth, may take comfort.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.