The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-28
LOWER TELEPHONE RATES
Cape Fear ard Yaokia Vale Rai.ro ad
tow q advance Freis NJ and
rass>' ger Rates.

The let;t:on for a reduction Of telephone
rates N North Carolina was not heard by
the State Railroad Commission at its ses-
sion yesterday as it was ex-
pected that it would be, but the case was
continued until the next meeting at the
request of the telephone people.
1t is almost certain, however, that when
the matter does come up the proposed
reduction will be made. The present
rate-$40 for places of business and $50
for residences-has always seemed ex-
orbitant to the Commission and once be-
fore they have reduced the rate from
$50 to $40; and would have reduced it
lower still had not the Bell Telephone
Company, then the only one in exist
ence, threatened to leave the State. This
frightened the citizens of those places
which had telephone exchange, and
they petitioncd the Commission not to
further reduce the rate. 49,
Now there are a number OF other COM
panies equally as good as the Bell COM
pany and there is no reason why rates
should not be put down to reasonable
basis. Petitions and complaints have
been received from all sections of the
State asking that it be done. One peti-
toner, writing from Asheville, says that
the rate there, as here, is $40. The sys-
tenn there has over 315 subscribers, only
20 OF them being residences. The rev.
enue of the company from these is about
$l2,OOO per annum; the total admitted ex-
penses are only $1,000. This leaves over
100 per cent profit. Practically this state
OF affairs seems to exist al! over the
State.
OF course the smaller the exchange
and the more scattering the customers it
serves, the smaller is its profit. This be-
ing so, it is probable that the Commits
sion, when it does take action, will make
sort Of graduted scale of rates, govern
ed by the population Of the CITY where the
exchange is located.
The applicable of the Cape Fear and
Iadkin Valley Railroad for permission
to advance its freight and passenger tar
ifs was granted. Hereafter the same
rates viii be charged by this road rs by
the Carolina Central, which has a freight
tariff about 20 per cent above the stand
ard tariff. This means an advance OF
about 10 per cent in TIE former freight
rates on the Cape Fear road and Il OF a
cent Per mile advance in passenger rates
or " a cent above the standard til IL.
This advance in rate WIS allowed be-
c,,use lie Commission found upon inSes-
tigat;Gn that the road, ROW in the handS
of a receiver, is getting Il Il worse coHd--
ton all the time; that. while the passed.
ger earnings on the NOr.h Carolina Rail
road are 81. 100 per mile and OH he Caro-
lima Central they are $72D Ter NILE on
the Care Fear and Yadkin VALLEY they
are only 500. The road mas no! been
able to pay the interest Oh It's fu"det.
debt for a long time.
The Aberdeen and West En- Railroad
was relieved from the prov.s.oas OF CIR
cular No. IS. This c.rc2.ar provides
that when freight originates on one road
aud, before reaching is dest ma zion. is
transferred to another line, each road
over which it passes is entitled to its To-
cal rate less 10 per cent.
The Purv:s depot case also came up
again, a number of the citizens of Row
land, the rival town two mics away, ap-
Fearing in opposition to the petition. They
asked that the Wilmington and Weldon
Railroad Company be not required to
build a depot at Purvis, alleging that
there are already four depots within a
radius of ten miles of the town. They
further said that there was a tacit I'M
Outstanding in that section of Robson
county with the railroad authorities that
if they would build a depot a Purvis they
would not be required to build another
in that vicinity.
The matter was thereupon again con-
tinued for the purpose of getting further
information for the guidance Of the Com
mission. IT, ST..
Several unimportant complaints of dis
examinations and overcharges were also
called up, but most of them were con-
tinued.