The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-04-28
HELD TWO HEARINGS.
Public Service Commission
Consic ering Complaints
Against Local Cos.
MET HERE YESTERDAY

Taken Up With the Crossing
Grades Matter at Taylor Street
No Decision Rendered Yesterday.
The Public Service Commission
held two hearings yesterday in the
grand Jury room of the court house,
one on the matter of crossing grades
at Taylor street and the other on
the proposed changes in the tele-
phone and lighting wires in this city
and Barre and between the two cities.
The first hearing arose over the
petition of Attorney j. II. Senter and
40 others for a set of CRATES at the
Taylor street crossing, near the Cen
trail Vermont station. Supt. c. +.
Soule and Attorney C. w. Writer'S, of
the railroad were present and volun-
teered to place a flagman at the
crossing, without an order of the
commission and as this was salts
factory to the petitioners the case
was held open for six months, for
trial of the arrangement.
At o'clock in the afternoon the
commission convened to hear the
interested parties in the adjourn
ed hearing on the telephone and cleo
trio wires in this city and Barre. In
addition to the appearance at the
first hearing, w. n. Theriault APP
peared for the Moody & Almon Com
pany, in the absence of G. H. Almon,
and j. H. Senter appeared for the
Orange County Telephone Company.
W. A Lord appeared for the Cory,
Deavitt and Frost Electric Company
and the street railway company.
Attorney Senter brought up the
matter of phrasing in certain para
graphs of the agreement which had
been submitted The section referred
TO reads as follows:
1t is understood that if the extern
sion of the service of any company
hereafter makes necessary changes
in construction of the pole lead the
company desiring such changes or
additions shall bear the entire eX
pense of making the changes in ac-
cordance with the specifications.
Mr. Senter thought that this might
be capable of a wrong construction,
which would cause undue hardship.
He felt that it might be so read as
to throw excessive financial burden
on any company which might desire
to go on some street where they are
not located Matt Jones, counsel for
the New England Telephone and
Telegraph Company, stated that it
was the intention of the parties con-
cerned at the time of making up the
agreement, that this should only APP
ply TO extensions where two COM
panies occupied the same pole line
and one of them wished to add or
extend wires 1t would not apply
to company coming on the street,
which had not been before located
there. Mr.. Senter failed to read it in
that way, so it was suggested and
agreed, that the section be amended
to read as applying to the parties
in the agreement This was salts
factory to all parties and was made
part of the agreement.
City Attorney F. p. Carleton, for
the city of Montpelier, brought up
the matter OF fire alarm wires
Chairman Redmond assured him that
the top range of the poles is re-
served for the fire alarm and in case
OF an instance where it would be ad-
visable to place them lower, the
matter can be arranged by mutual
agreement. Mr. Carleton also spoke
OF the fact that the city has the right
to use one channel in whatever con-
duit the telephone company has put
in, but this is a matter outside the
jurisdiction of the commission
Chairman Redmond said that there
was another matter, which had beer
brought up by the commission eX-
pert, Mr.. Sargent. This was in the
section of the paragraph which ha.
to do With further extensions OF
changes, which are not provided fol
in the agreement After some dis
cussion as to the exact wording o
the article, it was changed by thu
addition of the word fundamental
and the addition of the words, witt
the approval of the Public Servic,
Commission of the State of Vermont
The section now reads:
Should new development or tn
business requirement of any of tn
parties thereto render it necessar
to make changes or amendments il
the specifications such changes o.
amendments shall be by agreement o
all concerned, and be incorporated 4
the specifications. In case of dis
agreement the matter shall be re
ferred to the Public Service Com
mission for decision.
Mr.. Theriault stated at this poin
that he was not prepared to sa
that Moody & Almon would sign tn