The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-05-12
DIDN'T COME As "RoBBERs."
Pres. Davidson Of Consolidated Company
Replies to Pres Cory.

President Davidson Of tie Consolidated
Lighting company takes vigorous excep.
tion TO the statements made BY Presi-
dent Cory Of the Barre & Montpelier
Power and Traction company at the last
meeting Of the city council regarding
rates for electricity and general corpora
tion benevolence toward the public; and
he presented long letter 20 the alder.
men on the matter last night, in which
he stated that his company are not
"robbersH as President Cory would
have the public believe, and further.
more, that II their concern had got hoId
'of the electric railroad we would have
seen far more satisfactory service.
In addition, the Consolidated and its
allied company, the Vermont Power and
Lighting company, are planning to pro-
vide Barre with thousands og additional
horse power, whereas the contemplated
improvements by the d. 81 M. r. Il Il. co.
promise only hundreds.
Pres Davidson refers to the false
statements BIZ the owners Of the trolley
company which would tend 10 mislsad
the public regarding his company's poll.
cies, and considers the time ripe to reply
to the many misstatements made by
Mr. Cory concerning ns.F He said that
the present owners Of his companies did
not come here to rob the public, but
came here because they had some money
to invest and they believed in the Barre
granite field He declard that they had
made no change in rate and only had
changed from the flat rate to the meter
rate, mot 70 gain more money. but be-
cause we are convinced that It is the
only equitable way to sell electricity
He said that he could prove BY the com.
pany's books that the earnings had been
decreased by this change rather than in
creased.
His companies have spent several hum
dred thousand dollars 10 keep pace with
the granite industry and they propose
to spend several hundred thousand more.
BY this latter they hoped to serve the
requirements Of Barre and the quarries
for many years
Mr.. Deavitt's reference to the various
increases in power charges to the trolley
company were explained by Pres. David.
son, who said that The trolley company
had been getting the power at "a pro-
hibitively low rateg and that nine
months notice was given Of an intended
change Moreover. when the trolley COM
pany didn't get is system working until
fve months after the expiration Of its
contract, It was still given power to run
its cars and on an even basis with other
consumers. "We hare always treated
them with the utmost courtesy said
Pres. Davidson, "and accommodated
them IN many ways IN fact, after they
had left Us. an accident occurring at
their plant we came to their assistance
with our power until they could make
necessary repairs
As parting shot. Pres. Davidson
gives the following; Tn regard to our
desire to purchase the road, we did want
10 buy che road but IL was not our
70 pay for Il in the manner
Mr. Cory outlined That. however, Il
What Is important Is that
Ee intended e ina iaiAly axpend
sl5uDO0 ii cash for improvements ard
among them the proposed |
oop IN Barre, as we'll as in Montpelier.
md an upsto date interurhan as well as
ocal service, which would have meant
more to the people Of this To-
.ality than the present state Of affairs =
he recalls also that the new public SER
ice commission law gives the commits
non q free hand to reduce rates when /
hey are too high, improve service and
n general give the public every possible