Los Angeles herald., 1907-02-05
DENY RIGHT
OF CITY TO
FIX CHARGES
Utility Com panieS
Make Protest
Sunset Company Pleads lts Privileges
as Agent Of Government In
Transmitting Interstate
Messages

The public utility companies have
determined to contest the right of the
city council to fix telephone and tele-
graph charges and any other charges
contemplated by the act which calls
for reports of business of the preced-
ing year each January.
Receiver I1. G. Crandall of the Lowe
companies was the first to send in a
communication shifting the blame, IL
any exists, on the president and secre-
tary of the company
Later In the day Secretary f. w.
Eaton of the Sunset Telephone and
Telegraph company filed n statement
under protest and gave his causes OF
protest.
The Home Telephone company now
has test case pending in the United
States supreme court on the same is
sues.
For Lowe Companies
Receiver Crandall of the Los Angeles
Suburban Gas company addressed the
following letter to the city council
yesterday:
"a short time ago 1 was appointed
by the superior court of this county
receiver in an action brought by hold
ers of bonds which have defaulted in
payment of interest against the gas
companies known as the Lowe COM
panies and directed to take possession
of certain properties belonging to the
Los Angeles Suburban Gas company
and apparently common ground for the
various Lowe companies.
"By the terms of an ordinance adopt
ed by your honorable body these COM
panes are required to file with the
council during the month of January
a statement of property values, reve-
nues and expenditures verified under
oath by the president and secretary or
secretary,
"I seek your counsel as to what is
expected of me in the premises. as l
do not wish personally to be in de-
fault.
$50 far I have been unable to ascer-
tain anything about expenditures or
profits and the affairs of the companies
appear to be quite in tangle and with
but few If any available records, and
l am sure at present nobody but the
secretary or president of those COM
panies can give the information de-
sired and it seems to me by the law 1t
was their duty to have attended to it,"
Sunset Files Statement
The Sunset Telephone and Telegraph
company furnished under written pro-
test a statement in pursuance of sec
tion 10, ordinance 10,S36, passed April
3. 1905:
telephones in Los Angeles. 1855, ,s42
Amount received for furnish
ing telephone service and
than rentals ................ 6,65a
Revenue derived or in any man
ner arising from business in
Los Angeles in connection
with it's telephone and tele
graph business outside of Los
Angeles ........... 7S341
.--o oo-
Total SlDU,Soi
Note-This amount is for telephone
and telegraph business done between
cities in California, oregon, Washing
ton and Nevada.
Among the items of expenditures are:
Proportion of salaries .......s 6S,2S5
Proportion of state and county
Taxes NsS for the city Of Of Los An
Salaries and wages paid to -oooo
t5 counts mt and and collecting e..... 2775o
Cost of keeping plant in repair 151S12
W rnout plant .............. 2O4692
aiments .......... ........ 4O931
Total STATES
W Inventory of Plant
Under protest the Sunset Telephone
and Telegraph company yesterday fur
nished to the council an itemized in
ventory of it's plant. The figures are:
Telephone instruments 20, 1850. $217,95O
Telephones 425 ............ 2,125
Telephones 1925 ............. 2,S12
Underground system. includ-
ing cable and conduits and
attached aerial cables. ..... 1896, $50
Pole lines carrying wires and
crossarmS ................. 232,03g
Real estate NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 14S,91S
Total $1,S15, 7O4