Omaha daily bee., 1888-01-14
CABLE COMPANIES IN COURT.
A Temporary Victory Won BY the
Anglo. merican.
tCopmiph 1855 bv Jamts Gordon Benne't.1

Paris, Jan l3.-tN New York Herald Cable
Special to the BEE. l,Auoldcrs of the mys-
teries OF French law Nave doubtless been
rather startled to hear that the Anglo-Amcr-
lean Telegraph company has won a decisive
victory over the French Cable company 1t
was stated here that the Compagne Fran
caise had been condemned on all points and
ordered to pay 1000 fr,,ncs day damages
from the time of leayipg the Anglo-Amer-
lean pool and ordered to resume working re-
lations with that bcnefcient ring without
delay
Was IT truel
To clear the matter up the Herald corrc-
spondent called on Count Dillon tonight at
his house in the Neville
"What truth is there in the story published
regarding the decisive defeat of the French
Cable companyi" asked the correspondent.
"Yery little," replied Dillon. 1.-THE Tri-
bunal de Commerce has decided against the
French company, that is trne enough,
but the decision will be appealed
against and the court of appeals
is sure to upset 1t. / was
chiefly instrumental in founding the French
company. It's object was to make France
independent Of the existing pool lines. To
guarantee this independence the following
clause was inserted in the concessions
granted to the company by the French gov
ernment: The French company shall not
form an alliance or fusion of interests with
transatlantic cable company unless by the
expressed authority and permission of the
French government On these terms the
French company was started. AT the
end of a certain time the eleven pool COM
panes invited the French company to join
their directorate, disregarding the prohibi-
tory clause in its concessions. To this it
agreed and the French company remained in
the pool till 1856, when a quarrel arose be-
tween the directors and shareholders of the
French concern and new board of directors
was appointed This naturally caused much
excitement, and to quiet public opinion the
minister of posts and telegraph requested the
French company to produce the text of its
contract with the pooling companies.
The text was shown. After having care
fully examined the clauses, the government
saw that the contract was in fiat contradic-
tion with the conditions on which the French
company had been permitted to lay its cables
and ordered the company to comply strictly
with the terms of its concession. The French
company did what it was compelled to do.
1t transmitted the government order to the
pool. The companies informed them that it
was obliged to withdraw from the ring"
'How did the pool take the announce
ment.'
IA reply came in the shape of summons
from the Anglo-Amercan Telegraph COM
pany to appear before the Paris tribunal of
commerce. This tribunal, should explain,
is not court of law at all, but kind of a
court of arbitration whose decisions have no
binding effect and can always be appealed
from"
''What was the RESULT"
''The tribunal began by declaring itself in
competent to settle case which
was the outcome of an order
of the government. 1t went
on to say that pending decision by compe-
tent jurisdiction the French company would
have to pay 1000 francs'a day to the Anglo
American company, counting from the
time when it had withdrawn from the pool"
"And you say you will appeals"
'Yes," said Dillon, 'the case will be re-
moved to the court of appeals, where we
shall certainly be supported by the govern
| ment whose orders the French company has
obeyed." c....'a ...
'You don't seem uneasy about the final
result9"
mot in the least. The future of the
| French company is safe enough if the gov
ernment will see its independence respected
| Our shareholders are not alarmed"
zone more question. Cannot the pool re-
| move the case to the English courtsi"
1.-THE pooling companies have tried to get
at us in the English courts already" replied
Count Dillon, 'but it was no use Their So
llcitors told them that no English Judge or
| courts would think of interfering with a de-
cision made by government, We are not
! anxious"