The Daytona daily news. [volume] (Daytona, Fla.) 1903-1926, 1912-03-23
QUESTION OF
CONTROL OF
TELEPHONES
COMMERCE COMMISSION GIVES
RULING ON ITS JURISDICTION
CAN CONTROL RATES M ANy
COMPANY FROM WHOSE LINES
ANY PERSON CAN TALK OUT
SIDE or ANY STATE.

WASHINGTON, March 23-Specur
lation is acute among legal repre-
sentatives of the telephone and tel
egraph companies as 10 just how far
the interstate commerce Commission
has authority to control their respae-
tive organizations and as to Whist
constitutes interstate and intrastahe
commerce as affecting these com
mercial agents.
Only in one case has the commis-
sion expressed itself regarding teae-
phone companies. 1t has held, how.
ever. that 1T has iurisdiction over
both telephone companies and tee
graph companies. 1t can require
them 20 publish their schedules Of
rates and prosecute them for reba4-
ing. Beyond this, however. tho
commission as yet has not nEazie 4
definite ruling.
In this connection a Commercial
concern of this city investkgzhad fAe
question. and their findings whKae ~
official are accepted generally %
based on good conclusions. Ma&nay
their deductions have been confined
10 telephone companies. ss Il il
I generally understood. that the pubifc
is more interested regarding the nv
4 governing these ooncerns than VIA
regard to the telegraph counpazzz@a.
Their report reads:
Telephone companies. whnse
lines are all within the limt Of .
siusle state. terriory or district Of
the United States and which have
NO connection whatever with lines
outside Of the state. do not cone
within the jurisdiction OF the inter
state commerce cOrnmissbon but are
subject so,ely to such requirements
as may be imposed by the laws Of
the state in which they are dong
business. However, if such com
a message over its lines 20 some
other point within the state aud
there connects with an Interstate line
/ under am Arrangement for TRANSMITS
sion outside of the state, it wouh
} then be considered to be engaged In
Interstate commerce and subject 70
the Interstate commerce law.
In short, any telephone company
from whose line subscriber can
=. talk to a person outside of the
: state, territory or district In which
4 he may be, is engaged in interstate
t commerce, and adjudged by the In
2 terstate commerce commission to be
under its jurisdiction"
5 In the only ruling ON the subject
{ that the commission has made, Il
. was held that no telephone company
{ over whislh ii may have jurisdiction
can lawfully give the same services
n to one subscriber at a lower rate
I than TO another. no matter when
the contract with either subscriber
d may have been made. In view oI
e the general practice of telephous
companies throughout the country q
permit old subscribers to renew theii
contract at the same rate from yeal
4 to year notwithstanding the enlarge
ment of the service or the increaSs
Of facilitates, While at the same tima
new subscribers are charged
higher rate, it might be IN order Il
point out that ON the demand o
subscriber paying a higher rate thai
another for the same service. u
matter how matter how just such
higher rate may be, the telephon'
company can be compelled either I
reduce or increase in charges TO
uniform rate to all subscribers n
Il 49,. L.. --.-.,,. q, r.r..4 ~ -nrricn