The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-04-26
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY
BILL TO REPEAL THE TELEPHONE LAW REJECTED BT THE HOUSE.

!
 LAW REJECTED BY THE HOUSE Resolution So Reinstatc David Callahan
 senate-An Amendment to Suspens
 Operation of the Civil Service Law il New Haven-Othcr Matters Before tn
 House and the Senate Yesterday.
 The session of the House in Hartford
 yesterday was the longest since the
 session of 1901 opened. Debate on the
 bill to repeal portion of the telephone
 bill passed in 1S99 occupied nearly two
 hours. The matter was the special or
 der of the day at 11:30 yesterday. The
 bill provided for the repeal of that DOT
 ton of the law of 1899 which requires
 that all new telephone companies before
 they shall be allowed to do business
 must show to the superior court that
 there is public demand and need for a
 new company As soon as the matter
 was taken up yesterday MT. Lanphere,
 of Waterford, moved that the report of the judiciary committee be accepted and
 the bill rejected.
 MT. Guilfoile, of Waterbury, led the opposition to the Southern New Eng land Telephone company, stating that the amendment to the 1899 law proposed to permit citizens of the state to go into the telephone business as in other busi- tLo4 hp Southern New England Telephone com- pany, the "1icensee of the Bell Tele- phone company" had the monopoly of the business file thought this ought not to be. He quoted Michigan rates of independent companies as also New York, Ohio and other states. He stated that the present law simply perpetuated the Bell patents in this state. At the present time the local company pays 35 per cent. of it's earnings and s14 on in- strument to the Bell company. He wanted the House to pass his amend ment.
 MT. Freeman, of Hartford took issue with Mr. Guilfoile. He said that the law was q wise provision, as unless public convenience was proven competi- | tion of natural monopoly always led to a union, when higher prices always resulted. Many companies would be es- tablished as blackmailing concerns to force their buying out.
 MT. Woodruff, of Orange, of the jul diciary committee, paid high com pliment to his colleagues on the com mittee, and stated that whatever opin- ion re had originally held he would make no further opposition.
 | Mir Clark, of Winchester, upheld Mr. Guilfoile. MT. Hitchcock of Woodbury, did tine same, stating that reasonable prices ought to be charged
 | MT. Donovan supported MT Freeman as did MT. ealkins MT. Tucker MT l Wadsworth and others.
 l Mir Gulfoile ended the opposition to | the monopoly" by telling speech and after a few more remarks, MT. King, chairman of the committee, finished the debate. MT. King said that if there was any wrong under which the state was grooming it was special legislation.
 Unless am greatly surprised" he said, before this session is closed we | shall shut the doors against this sort of | thing. Shall we not take the stand to- | day and hereafter that if corporations | wantNto do business they must go to the tribunals which we erect for their con sideration. cit us say no more special 1 legislation Let us go to the courts for these powers" Rejected
 l The fisheries and game committee, who have been working on general reconstruction of the fishery laws since | the opening of the season, yesterday sent | to the House their report in the shape of a brand new bill, taking the place of all the bilsl regarding fishing in various lakes and rivers which have been re- pealed.
 The new bill provides in brief as fol- lows.
 No person shall spear fish between May 1 and March 15. Minows may be taken for bait with a seine in all brooks except trout brooks; no person shall take fish with seine or net in any pond or stream unless authorized by the com- missloners except as above provided. The provisions, however, do not apply to tidewater, Connecticut river, Housa- tonic river below the Housa tonic Water company dam Violators of this act shall be fined not more than $25 or fm- prisoned not more than thirty days or both. Tabled for printing.
 One of the most important omnibus" bills presented to the assembly since the incorporation of the well known Associated Merchants company of New York, came up for action in the House yesterday morning and was passed The new bill incorporates "the Colonial Commercial company of New London" among the incorporators being David Mckenzie, Francis G. Way and Will liam s. Chappell The capital stock will be $50,000.
 The rights granted to this company are extremely wide.
 They are permitted to engage in gen. eral manufacturing, mining, trading and mercantile business or any of the same, to loan money, manufacture all kinds of articles, commodities and per- sonal property; to contract for, acquire, receive in trust, hold, own, operate. de- veop, buy, sell and deal ill all kinds Of real and personal property, including the securities and franchises Of other corporations, associations, states, coun- ties, municipal corporation and individ- uals in this or any foreign country, and may borrow money and issue it's bonds and other evidences of indebtedness therefor to an amount not exceeding 75 per cent. of the actual value of its property; to contract for and build and