title: The Bell Telephone System
author: Arthur W. Page
description: THE MAKE-UP OF THE BELL SYSTEM........ The United States is a big country and big companies have grown up to serve its needs. They are a natural result in a big country with a single currency, good transportation and communication and no trade barriers. The economies and efficiencies which come with such a national market have been achieved by industrial enterprises in large enough units to serve such a market.&apos; In other words, the very fundamentals of our political structure seem adapted for the particular purpose of encouraging large scale enterprise. This structure has, in fact, facilitated such enterprise, and the country has had the benefits. Nevertheless, the public is not at any time altogether satisfied with big business, and from time to time is seriously dissatisfied with it. Sometimes it is dissatisfied with one aspect, sometimes with another. Sometimes the criticism is against individual companies, sometimes against large enterprise in general.
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  # Pestilence
  
  
  ### The Calling Series
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Kim Faulks
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Illustrated by Jennifer Munswami
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright © 2018 by Kim Faulks
  
  
  All rights reserved.
  
  
  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
  mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without
  written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in
  a book review.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Introduction](part0003.html#2RHM0-43ae12b79ea942e594f95770640bfd81)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Acknowledgments](part0004.html#3Q280-43ae12b79ea942e594f95770640bfd81)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Prologue](part0005.html#4OIQ0-43ae12b79ea942e594f95770640bfd81)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 1](part0006.html#5N3C0-43ae12b79ea942e594f95770640bfd81)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 2](part0007.html#6LJU0-43ae12b79ea942e594f95770640bfd81)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 3](part0008.html#7K4G0-43ae12b79ea942e594f95770640bfd81)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [Chapter 4](part0009.html#8IL20-