The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-10-01
FIFTY COMPANIES
REPRESENTED
AT HEARING
MANY OFFICIALS ON HAND
Already Evident That Mast Of the
Struggle viii &c Provided by
n. {. Tel. a Tel, Co.

Mont rclic. Sept. so-Thc hear
mg before the puhrc service com.
mission on the rcasunablcness OF the
iatos OF the various telephone com
panies in Vermont began q. The
State House this morning.
In response to subpOcnas issued
by the commission early ia Sepicm-
her so of the 100 companics. co-part
ners and individuals were represent
ed by officials and counsel over 100
men aud two women. besides the
stencg -aphers, croWdug into the
Senate chamber where the hearing
WAS held.
Forty companies and individuals
made no appearance, being satisfied
II rs said. with the order issued by
the commissioners. and Is OF the In
tepencent companies, appearing,
made statements 10 the commission
that they we're not objectng TO an
order calling for the maximum rates
as issued This leaves about % cas-
es To- hearing, NEST OF New England
Telephone company subsidiaries.
some independents with New Eng.
| Adil' NNtNfAAlhllN anu ~ lfh rAAAAtlr
cd simon pure independents.
The session may last two weeks.
Under The order OF notice issued on
! September 6 last. the various tcle-
| phone companies were summoned
here today to show cause why on
| and after December /, next. the rem.
falls for busineys phones should not
be established at SIS TO S33. resi-.
dence telephones al $l2 to $2l with
10 per cent reduction in toll rates.
II is no secret ,hat the party aim
ed at in the order is the New Eng.
iand Telephone and Telegraph com.
! pany. that company has appeared on
the scene with books, data. statistics
and reports enough to OH freight
car, besides four stenographcrs with
typewriiers and dictaphcne. a corps
of experts accompanies the New Eng
land officials
Every officer of prominence con.
nected with the company outside the
general manager was PRESENT today
hence it can be realized how much
Importance the company attaches "a
the hearing. Among the officers are
President y. l.. Spaulding, NicePres
ident r. X. Hail. General Auditor Il
W. Longlcy +. w. Stoy. assistant
10 the vicepresident the commercial
engineer chief bc0kkceper, tariff
clerks end others, nearly score il
nun ber
The company has como prepared
10 open its books to the commission
and afford it every opportunity to Q,
anime its records and form it's owl
conclusion whether or not the rate
charged in Vermont are unreason
able. which was one OF the frs
things the subsidiary companies. al
tie, the hearing opened, denied il
their answered. ntaining the genera
? denial.
The forenoon was occupied in as
| | pertaining what companies are rel
[ resented and by whom, the commits
4 sion stating that as the companie
O knew more about their affairs tina
v the public they would ask them I
h furnish the evidence first TO wAic
no objection was raised.
During the day fou' companie
Q were examined, their represents
d tives being E. A. Filed for the A,
/ olson Telephone company, John "
= Alexander of Rockingham for .hin
k self, r. f. Brown of Wiliston, A. {
e Prebie of the Champlain Telephon
It company and a. w. Foote for IN
d Cornwall Telephone company. Lii
I, tie was addueed at the hearin
$ which would hurt the telephone COZ
t. panics and all who testified elaine
C they were not putting aside none
Tor requirements or renewals an
, agreed they were not chargin
!. enough fer the service.
= Gov. Fletcher was no. at the hea
% ing, but Lieut.. Gov. Howe was pre-
ent. The state was represented |
> e. II. Deavitt, w. A. Graham and
. A. Cock the last two being the spc
: ial counsel for the public seryi,
. commission which made the reno
y thal led to the hearing. -
AZ The New England Telephone ca,
u pany's interests were represent,
Vi by Nj. B. Jones of Boston, gener
- counsel of the company, w. b.
y Stickney of Bethel, j. G. Sargent
= Ludlow, former attorney generi
&c and j. w. Redmond of Newpol
" former chairman of the public Sc
vice commission.
The Independent group was re
resented by H. B. Howe of st. job
l.. bury, f. G. Fleetwood of Morrisvil
-, ana t.. A. Harvey of Montnelier q,