Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-02-14

tam ana operate it's telephone line.
drought the length and breadth of mi.
state with as many wires and hrancbe,
as they may see fit, commencinp ana
terminating at such point or points as
they may select There is no broader
cnarter that could be given anything
These people got the charter that they
asked for as they supposed. They went
on constructing their lines until they
reached the city of Auburn. There II
was suddenly discovered that Nv soma
lnadVertence, there was a word in there
that would prohibit their going any
further in all probability and il was
taken TO the courts to construe the
meaning of that charter. 1t is now in
the hands of the courts. 1t has been
SAD that we ought not to interfere
win the court. ! disclaim the intention
Oh TINS Legislature to doanything of the
sort but | do say that. if this Legisla-
lure intended to give a charter and
through some inadvertence on the part
OF someone, word crept in there that
PROMPTS the charter from being what
II was intended TO be, it is incumbent
on this Legislature to rectify the
wrong. 1t is not only incumbent upon
us but ii Is our duty.
Now, these gentlemen have not come
here asking for q new charter. Moth
ing of the kind. In fact they believe
they have charter that is good for the
entire state but this question arises rs
to whether it shall be a continuous lin,
from where it starts or whether it may
be broken in other places like all char
terS. They come here and ask us 10
set them right as citizens of the State.
1t is now our duty to consider we'll
whether we will rectify that wrong or
whether in the interests of monopoly
ana trusts, We are going to hold those
gentlemen down to what we never ask
ed any other corporation in Maine to
comply with. Since 1850 this Legisla-
ture has granted something life Il
telephone and telegraph charters and
we have several before us now when
we are To act upon before this Legisla-
iure closes so il has been the custom Of
granting to all these companies the
rights TO do business and to max" ON
petition for the people of the state
whereby they may get their telephones
for one-half the price they are now
England Telephone Company is that il
is gigantic monopoly. 1t is a trust Of
the first water. The citizens OF Maine
this last fan proclaimed against such a
thing. | believe that the New England
Telephone Company is simply 2 rich
mans luxury. believe that the last
ern Telephone Company is the poor
mans friend. tApplause).
Mr.. HARRIS Of Auburn: | disagree
with the gentleman from Bangor that
the Eastern Telephone Company is
necessarily the poor mans friend. |
rise to object and oppose the motion TO
substitute the minority report for that
of the majority. In the first place il
would seem TO me that the gentlemen
composing the Eastern Telephone com
pany are relying upon their eminent re-
spectability and trying to obtain from
this Legislature something that they
ought not to have. They ask on the
one hand for the best we have to Civ"
and they withhold the statement of
their condition. Any academy which
aplies for an appropriation files state
ment of facts and corporations are re-
ouired by Statutes to file annual re-
turns 50 that we may know and the
Legislature may know what is going
on. how much money they have got in
vested and where it is. 1t would seem
to be proper that they should file the
annual return that was due last
November The statute says that they
shall annually make return TO the sec
rotary Of State. value, stockholders.
their residents. amount of stock owned
by each and the whole amount of sto' X
paid in on the first day of November
ana that the secretary shall lay the
same before the legislature.
AS far as the Eastern Company is
concerned. we have not go that infor-
nation. They have not filed their an
nual return for the last year. The re-
turn of the previous year shows thai
they had a capital stock Of ,7oo, '.'
shares. Of this amount, 564 shares are
in the name of their stockholders, 10
shares of n Massachusetts citizen, A.!
shares are in the name of two state ~
Maine people as trustees Now, II LOOKS
to me somewhat speculative as though
these men entered upon this undertake
ing-and we don't know where 'l+
money comes from or how much has
been invested. or whose money 1t IS
that they are claiming to do the PUBIC
n great service in the reduction of rates
but the real motive and the real ex~
recitation is to get n valuable ..ancnlSe
from the State Of Maine and dispose OF
it.
Now. as to the history of this East
ern Telephone Company. 1t was char
tered in 1895 as a local corporation ana
it was very proper that Ninal Haven
and Rockland and the isles of the bay
should have connection by telephone
with the mainland. That was the pur-
nose of this charter. 1t was named the
Rockland and Ninal Haven Telegraph
and Telephone Company. This was 4
purely local company with capital
stock not exceeding the sum of S50,ooo
They constructed their line from Nlnal
Haven 70 Rockland and at that time,
If was a purely local company. Ihey
did not consider that it gave them the
ri yht to extend their lines throughout
the State of Maine and at tins time
when they had their charter amended
and as thew now claim. obtained their
extended rights which are in question
in court, they reduced their capital
stock to $4,000 on the face or it, Ihe
capital stock of the company shall be
SIS 600 but the corporation may hereat-
ter from time to time increase the
same by ma jority of the stockholders
when ever it shall be deemed neceS-
N-n,r that & the brOalpSt and