Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-12-11
TH|RHETR DAY Of
PHONE HEARING
Public Service Commission Does
Not Believe Expense VIII!
BE $4,000.

MOI BelieVe Expense VIII!
Be $4,000.
Montpelier. Dec. 9.--The 10Th week
of the telephone hearing before the
public service commission began this
morning with the resumption of the
direct testimony of George X. Manson
chief engineer of the New England
Telephone Il Telegraph Co. This was the
Goth day of the hearing. The commits
sion plans to put in five days work
this week. Instead of adjourning Fri
day afternoon there will he a Satur-
day session. Whether there will be a
session next week has not yet been
determined. The commission has fixed
on Monday, December 10. as the time
for holding the investigation of the
fatal accident TO J. A. Steward at Rut-
land. In case there is no session on the
telephone case Tuesday, the commits
sion will hold a hearing that day at
Newport on the petition to eliminate
Trows crossing on the Canadian Paci-
fic railway.
Engineer Mansions testimony to-day
was confined to an explanation of
depreciation factors testified to by
President Spalding. During the after
noon. especially, much of this testi-
mony was given at the table before
the commissioners where the sheets
were exhibited.
The thoroughness of detail evident in
the hearing from the beginning will pro-
hr wit on tplp-
phone matters and on account Of In
vestigatons In other States made more
available and less expensive, in the minds
of some of the commission, who do not
believe the expense will figure up to
So, 000 as some have specialized. Up to
this time the attention of the commission
has been occupied with the telephone side
of tho case. Under tho ruling OF the chair
made on the opening day, it was up 10
the telephone companies to SHOW their
hand" and I'm this respect they have been
diligently employed. 1t has >heen wholly
the testimony Of the telephone company
with what advantage the STATE has Sc
cured Oh tn" yross-cXamnation. When
the STATE win go to the bat" is still a
matter of speculation, as well as what
testimony it will have to offer, and who
will be called
RUMOR VAIL WILL BE CALLED.
There has been an unconfrncd report
around the state House that the Hon.
r. y. Vail may be ono of the big fellows
called but all that the counsel for the
State will say about this is that that
matter has not yet been determined.
Mr.. Manson testified that the reproduce
.,,I ny
and it's four subsidiaries in Vermont
was $}Oo7, POS 81, added to which were APP
praisails for supplies on hand, tools FUR
niture and working capital which brought
the total figure up to 50, 233, iis
He then gave the depreciation factors
applied to the clnerert classes of mate
riais ana explained how these deprccla-
ton figures were arrived at. These per
centagcs were as follows; Main conduit,
two per cent, subsidiary conduit, five per
cent main underground cdba, three per
Cert; subsidEr% underground cable
five uer cent, toll underground
cable, three per cent aerial ca-
HE, - per cent; loading coils
fvc pcr cent: toll poles. SIS per
cent: EXCHANGE poles. 10 Pc cent; toll
Iron wire. So per cent. exchange iron
wire lis per cent; bare copper wire On toll
lines, - per cent: Ursula ted copper wire
ll2 neY cent; central Office equipment.
i9e po- cent: station equipment. - per
cent; cable terminals 20 per cent; build
,ngs, 2OG por cent, private rights of way
IS per cent; highway right9 Of way, four
per cent
In the course ~ mis- statement NJ.
Manson showed a Pupin coil and some
samples OF cable that had been affect
q with rlcCtrolysis, In some cases
iron T!rc wears out Ia years time,
he SAID. ana at p crossing OF the Cen
trial Vermont railway near st. Adams
it was necessary 10 take down iron
wire inside OF two years or account
Of the effect Of gases from locomotives
on the wire
REFLACEMFNTS COST $4,000. 600.
In describing the changes from mag
neto to common battery telephones
he said that the entire company now
had about 100000 common battery
! telephones as against 80, 900 magnetic
| telephones
Mr. Manson produced figures to show
| that the actual replacements from
1895 to date aggregated $lS,i17.OOO
ana thdt the ratlO OF replacement was
| between six ana seven per cent, al
though the allowance for depreciation
for 1912 was only six per cent.
Mr. Manson was cross examined by
Attorney Cook who desired more light
with reference to depreciation figures
He brought out the fact that the valu-
alton of the total New England plant
to-day is about s16,OOO,oOO Mr.. Man
son admitted that of the plant in eN
istence 1G years ago some OF II is in
operation to-day, but added that these
depreciation figures would have to be
| considered as an average Of all classos
OF plant What proportion of the s1s.-
100000 OF replacement applied to the
100000 worth OF plant In existence
in 1898, Mr.. Manson was unable to
say The Decentralization win he
resumed tomorrow.