The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-07-18
.B[L.CO ]
UNDERTAKE n / !.
Corporation Commission Hears
Testimony on tnplainttiio the 3.
Secretary Of State.
DEFEND PRESENT CHARGES !. |! les
Judge Purnell Hears Argument .t'I1:s'tl1'5
for Receivers for Cape Fear
Power Company. u
DEFEND PRESENT CHARGES I: &;
fsnecIa1 3 rho fimes pispatchl

RA LEIGH, N. G.. July 17..--J,rhc North
Carolina Corporation Commission De- 1''.
voted several hours to-day q the hear ear
Ing q. testimony ana argument IN In inc
matter OF the com plalnt filed by Secretary
OF STATE j 81 Bryan Grimes ngains &c ~ th 10
southern Bell Telephone Company, IN
witch he demands that the mas mum
charges for telephone service y, : th's
state DO fixed 1t five cents per MN VS.
8one-half cents per minute for time N 2ex'
tcess OF five minutes for long distance a1s:
Gtoll service, and 41.lO per month TOT repl' \
Fdence ana 81 per month ri Tor pus l11 ess
| stations in local exchange BerYl ce.S II! fie
L asse rted that Tie tau boon char cd Sl:Io
I5for a seven minute talk to Gr1meallahu,
and an equally high ratio TO- Washinsto.',
|SN. G; s. charges that he insisted are ' u'l-
|frensonahly high @ 5s5s3 III . III ..,a s
almost. / entirely to n evidence and argtt-j
41ncnt on the part OF officials and g -, =
torney for the aoutharn Bell IN del ea %
Of tho present rates. Colonel Grlnea was J; t
present, But took no active part g We ii'a
hearing, relying on the complaint tltat ~
had previously filed in detall with St slV:
commissioners. "a 853issss Iii y, .i
These officials made statements ~ ae-
Tense OF tho present rates 81 n charses
to the Crimes complaint being that tne
present toll and station charges are a ss
low as u consist tent witt good business
that to reduce them lower would pc 20
conflscnte their roperty Il IN yiolat lon g
the CoDstity tlon3E OF, tho United States
i that the company WINS only part q tne e.
line tossW ushingto and Grinesland anu
therefore Il not under their control mn
that Colonel Grimes Is not and has never yer
asked to DO d suhscriber to the Bell, and
Therefore has no ground or right ~ flle
1.-The complaint that lie has. The company
claims. too, that theirs lis largely g ~ o.
lsterstato business, tho comm ission haY wing
l$nos Jurisdiction over such, an ! that much
/ OF the long distance toll business IN the
State Is partly over lines not owned py
1.-the Southern Bell that the Bell Company
has on " tTnt Ito 1rrnng enfents VI ~ sucll
connect ionaflints 4 and acts purely a. as
agents for these com panies In collec tirg
their part OF the toll cha rges, the rates ties
i Being fixed by svucl, owning conpnnl es,3
IT As q notable fact In this connection
lsthat the Corporation Commission IN their
| Hast annual report to Governor Glenn de- y
clnred that tho authority given the com-i
mission over telephone n co,npan les IA ana
the regulate OF their 3E ates Is VERY
lletiS uHu LIN auuA tauh ssos'
was necessary before the III commission
could accomplish much 4 In this direction
Id Fire mans Fund IN nrance tCot,pora
lstIono Of San Francis SEQ wa licensed to- );
Ito do business In tho s to- tho general
agent ibolng ". y. Griswell,5 Of Durham
| This company succeeds the 81 Flrema e
INSURANCE Corporation OF San Francisco
which formed the new corporal Lion In o..
der that the old oorporaton might Wind
{t,ilt In Z
disaster without sacrificing its gen erat9
business intercsts. z. II Il,
Judge Purnell, Of the Federal Court,
to-day heard argument IN tho case ID Q:
| tho Schenectady Trust Company vs. The IN
Cape Fear Power Company Of Fayette g.
VILE. and made an Q I'd err making per me q
nent1 tho reoeiYarship Of Chnrles fE. l9ol-.
|vinnnd y, Novel; Counsel Efoy the oW =
| 'Compnny and Gray and N MOT gan, tt'e
llargest stockholders, represented to thu
court that over 500. 900 had been expended
| on tho plant; the dam ls plete, the to!l
| lines up ana tho machinery on hand ready
lfor installation, so that the receivers v
continued should no directed by the gcourt
TO complete the plni.t which Is g turni "
electric the operation of =, sl,e
ehHte,fdp5Ff ises, and that TO have rocelvera'
bsnie z al the 'Vncaiinpl eted " plant would
near, that Il, would be- sacrificed Mt fifty
Fcents On the dollar, II fact, tlpe,y goharsed
that the whole proceeding against the
company was an et fort on the part part: 81
the Electric Bond and Share Company,
which holds some OF the bonds Of inc
power company, To get possession Ct the
| plant for a song, Iudg sc. Purnell MADE no
order as Ia the cornple Of the plnnl
lbefore sale, but ttnatcd that ne Woula
|Stake tho matter under nd yisen1ont ana
nrobabiy have receivers certificates Is,
sued siieid for this purpose later. 3 a