the history of the telephone-第31章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


testhis　has　been　one　of　the　master　passions　of　the　human　race。　And　thus　the　larger　truth　about　the　telephone　is　that　it　is　vastly　more　than　a　mere　convenience。　It　is　not　to　be　classed　with　safety　razors　and　piano　players　and　fountain　pens。　It　is　nothing　less　than　the　high…speed　tool　of　civilization；　gearing　up　the　whole　mechanism　to　more　effective　social　service。　It　is　the　symbol　of　national　efficiency　and　coperation。

All　this　the　telephone　is　doing；　at　a　total　cost　to　the　nation　of　probably　200；000；000　a　year　no　more　than　American　farmers　earn　in　ten　days。　We　pay　the　same　price　for　it　as　we　do　for　the　potatoes；　or　for　one…third　of　the　hay　crop；　or　for　one…eighth　of　the　corn。　Out　of　every　nickel　spent　for　electrical　service；　one　cent　goes　to　the　telephone。　We　could　settle　our　telephone　bill；　and　have　several　millions　left　over；　if　we　cut　off　every　fourth　glass　of　liquor　and　smoke　of　tobacco。　Whoever　rents　a　typewriting　machine；　or　uses　a　street　car　twice　a　day；　or　has　his　shoes　polished　once　a　day；　may　for　the　same　expense　have　a　very　good　telephone　service。　Merely　to　shovel　away　the　snow　of　a　single　storm　in　1910　cost　the　city　government　of　New　York　as　much　as　it　will　pay　for　five　or　six　years　of　telephoning。

This　almost　incredible　cheapness　of　telephony　is　still　far　from　being　generally　perceived；　mainly　for　psychological　reasons。　A　telephone　is　not　impressive。　It　has　no　bulk。　It　is　not　like　the　Singer　Building　or　the　Lusitania。　Its　wires　and　switchboards　and　batteries　are　scattered　and　hidden；　and　few　have　sufficient　imagination　to　picture　them　in　all　their　complexity。　If　only　it　were　possible　to　assemble　the　hundred　or　more　telephone　buildings　of　New　York　in　one　vast　plaza；　and　if　the　two　thousand　clerks　and　three　thousand　maintenance　men　and　six　thousand　girl　operators　were　to　march　to　work　each　morning　with　bands　and　banners；　then；　perhaps；　there　might　be　the　necessary　quality　of　impressiveness　by　which　any　large　idea　must　always　be　imparted　to　the　public　mind。

For　lack　of　a　seven　and　one…half　cent　coin；　there　is　now　five…cent　telephony　even　in　the　largest　American　cities。　For　five　cents　whoever　wishes　has　an　entire　wire…system　at　his　service；　a　system　that　is　kept　waiting　by　day　and　night；　so　that　it　will　be　ready　the　instant　he　needs　it。　This　system　may　have　cost　from　twenty　to　fifty　millions；　yet　it　may　be　hired　for　one…eighth　the　cost　of　renting　an　automobile。　Even　in　long…　distance　telephony；　the　expense　of　a　message　dwindles　when　it　is　compared　with　the　price　of　a　return　railway　ticket。　A　talk　from　New　York　to　Philadelphia；　for　instance；　costs　seventy…five　cents；　while　the　railway　fare　would　be　four　dollars。　From　New　York　to　Chicago　a　talk　costs　five　dollars　as　against　seventy　dollars　by　rail。　As　Harriman　once　said；　〃I　can't　get　from　my　home　to　the　depot　for　the　price　of　a　talk　to　Omaha。〃

To　say　what　the　net　profits　have　been；　to　the　entire　body　of　people　who　have　invested　money　in　the　telephone；　will　always　be　more　or　less　of　a　guess。　The　general　belief　that　immense　fortunes　were　made　by　the　lucky　holders　of　Bell　stock；　is　an　exaggeration　that　has　been　kept　alive　by　the　promoters　of　wildcat　companies。　No　such　fortunes　were　made。　〃I　do　not　believe；〃　says　Theodore　Vail；　〃that　any　one　man　ever　made　a　clear　million　out　of　the　telephone。〃　There　are　not　apt　to　be　any　get…rich…quick　for…　tunes　made　in　corporations　that　issue　no　watered　stock　and　do　not　capitalize　their　franchises。　On　the　contrary；　up　to　1897；　the　holders　of　stock　in　the　Bell　Companies　had　paid　in　four　million；　seven　hundred　thousand　dollars　more　than　the　par　value；　and　in　the　recent　consolidation　of　Eastern　companies；　under　the　presidency　of　Union　N。　Bethell；　the　new　stock　was　actually　eight　millions　less　than　the　stock　that　was　retired。

Few　telephone　companies　paid　any　profits　at　first。　They　had　undervalued　the　cost　of　building　and　maintenance。　Denver　expected　the　cost　to　be　two　thousand；　five　hundred　dollars　and　spent　sixty　thousand　dollars。　Buffalo　expected　to　pay　three　thousand　dollars　and　had　to　pay　one　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　dollars。　Also；　they　made　the　unwelcome　discovery　that　an　exchange　of　two　hundred　costs　more　than　twice　as　much　as　an　exchange　of　one　hundred；　because　of　the　greater　amount　of　traffic。　Usually　a　dollar　that　is　paid　to　a　telephone　company　is　divided　as　follows：

Rent　。。。。。。。。。。。。　4c　Taxes　。。。。。。。。。。。　4c　Interest　。。。。。。。。　6c　Surplus　。。。。。。。。。　8c　Maintenance　。。。。　16c　Dividends　。。。。。。　18c　Labor　。。。。。。。。。。　44c　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　1。00


Most　of　the　rate　troubles　（and　their　name　has　been　legion）　have　arisen　because　the　telephone　business　was　not　understood。　In　fact；　until　recently；　it　did　not　understand　itself。　It　persisted　in　holding　to　a　local　and　individualistic　view　of　its　business。　It　was　slow　to　put　telephones　in　unprofitable　places。　It　expected　every　instrument　to　pay　its　way。　In　many　States；　both　the　telephone　men　and　the　public　overlooked　the　most　vital　fact　in　the　case；　which　is　that　the　members　of　a　telephone　system　are　above　all　else　INTERDEPENDENT。

One　telephone　by　itself　has　no　value。　It　is　as　useless　as　a　reed　cut　out　of　an　organ　or　a　finger　that　is　severed　from　a　hand。　It　is　not　even　ornamental　or　adaptable　to　any　other　pur…　pose。　It　is　not　at　all　like　a　piano　or　a　talking…　machine；　which　has　a　separate　existence。　It　is　useful　only　in　proportion　to　the　number　of　other　telephones　it　reaches。　AND　EVERY　TELEPHONE　ANYWHERE　ADDS　VALUE　TO　EVERY　OTHER　TELEPHONE　ON　THE　SAME　SYSTEM　OF　WIRES。　That；　in　a　sentence；　is　the　keynote　of　equitable　rates。

Many　a　telephone；　for　the　general　good；　must　be　put　where　it　does　not　earn　its　own　living。　At　any　time　some　sudden　emergency　may　arise　that　will　make　it　for　the　moment　priceless。　Especially　since　the　advent　of　the　automobile；　there　is　no　nook　or　corner　from　which　it　may　not　be　supremely　necessary；　now　and　then；　to　send　a　message。　This　principle　was　acted　upon　recently　in　a　most　practical　way　by　the　Pennsylvania　Railroad；　which　at　its　own　expense　installed　five　hundred　and　twenty…five　telephones　in　the　homes　of　its　workmen　in　Altoona。　In　the　same　way；　it　is　clearly　the　social　duty　of　the　telephone　company　to　widen　out　its　system　until　every　point　is　covered；　and　then　to　distribute　its　gross　charges　as　fairly　as　it　can。　The　whole　must　carry　the　wholethat　is　the　philosophy　of　rates　which　must　finally　be　recognized　by　legislatures　and　telephone　companies　alike。　It　can　never；　of　course；　be　reduced　to　a　system　or　formula。　It　will　always　be　a　matter　of　opinion　and　compromise；　requiring　much　skill　and　much　patience。　But　there　will　seldom　be　any　serious　trouble　when　once　its　basic　principles　are　understood。

Like　all　time…saving　inventions；　like　the　railroad；　the　reaper；　and　the　Bessemer　converter；　the　telephone；　in　the　last　analysis；　COSTS　NOTHING；　IT　IS　THE　LACK　OF　IT　THAT　COSTS。　　THE　NATION　THAT　MOST　IS　THE　NATION　WITHOUT　IT。



CHAPTER　VIII

THE　TELEPHONE　IN　FOREIGN　COUNTRIES

The　telephone　was　nearly　a　year　old　before　Europe　was　aware　of　its　existence。　It　received　no　public　notice　of　any　kind　whatever　until　March　3；　1877；　when　the　London　Athenaeum　mentioned　it　in　a　few　careful　sentences。　It　was　not　welcomed；　except　by　those　who　wished　an　evening's　entertainment。　And　to　the　entire　commercial　world　it　was　for　four　or　five　years　a　sort　of　scientific　Billiken；　that　never　could　be　of　any　service　to　serious　people。

One　after　another；　several　American　enthusiasts　rushed　posthaste　to　Europe；　with　dreams　of　eager　nations　clamoring　for　telephone　systems；　and　one　after　another　they　failed。　Frederick　A。　Gower　was　the　first　of　these。　He　was　an　adventurous　chevalier　of　business　who　gave　up　an　agent's　contract　in　return　for　a　right　to　become　a　roving　propagandist。　Later　he　met　a　prima　donna；　fell　in　love　with　and　married　her；　forsook　telephony　for　ballooning；　and　lost　his　life　in　attempting　to　fly　across　the　English　Channel。

Next　went　William　H。　Reynolds；　of　Providence；　who　had　bought　five…eights　of　the　British　patent　for　five　thousand　dollars；　and　half　the　right　to　Russia；　Spain；　Portugal；　and　Italy　for　two　thousand；　five　hundred　dollars。　How　he　was　received　may　be　seen　from　a　letter　of　his　which　has　been　preserved。　〃I　have　been　working　in　London　for　fo