A LONDON SCANDAL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 323, 25 January 1902, Page 3

A LONDON SCANDAL.

London, Nov. 30. London’s outburst of sympathetic, jj unctuous rectitude over New \orks r( rescue from Tammany had scarcely sub- j sided when this city was- confronted with , an administrative scandal of the first 0 magnitude within its own immaculate v coniines. t Tho English Post-office, always twenty p years behind the times, instead of taking the telephone system into its own hands j. in the beginning, presented a franchise to e a private company, which, like all monopo- c lies becamo oppressive and extortionate, 1 giving the worst service in Europe. t As°a result of an outcry from the whole ( press and the world of business a Parlia- , mentary inquiry was made four years ago ( into the manner in which the telephone company had lived up to its agreement with the Post-Office. This investigation ended in a decision by Minister Hanbury to extinguish the company s monopoly by starting the Post-Office service in cornThat scheme was on the point of being formally adopted when the telephone company coupled on to its,directorate the Eight Hob. Sir Henry Fowler, M.l. a Liberal Cabinet ex-Minister, a man whose everv pore exudes righteousness. From that" moment Hanbury’s reforming zeal was stayed by some occult force, and when tho Unionist Government was reconstructed Austen Chamberlain was put , in Hanbury’s place. Fowler is boss of Wolverhampton as i Chamberlain is of Birmingham (the two [ cities of the Midlands), and although 1 Fowler went with Gladstone in the home j rule split yet his relations with Chamber--3 lain always remained- curiously friendly, j When the Boer war began Fowler in- . stantly ranged himself beside Chamber- ,, lain, and ever since has been a fervid e defender of the Ministerial policy. e During this period Fowler has been i. negotiating a new contract in behalf of the telephone monopoly, with Austen

Chamberlain, the Colonial Secretary’s son, representing the Treasury and the Post-Office. This contract, now officially disclosed, shows that instead of the PostOffice competing with the existing monopoly an agreement ha 3 been entered into between them enabling tiie monopoly ti increase the charges without any guarantee that it will improve the service. Under the new Chamberlain-bowler agreement use of a telephone will cost 85 per cent more. Glasgow has a perfect telephone system undor the municipality for dE6. The telephone monopoly stock has risen enormously in value since the publication of the new agreement. Moreover, complaint is made that certain favored persons having private knowledge of tho character of the agreement have recently beon buying telephone stock largely, clearing immense profits. The press, the London Corperation and the Chamber of Commerce are all up in arms, but the telephone company only replies by appointing Fowler its chairman.