Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1913-05-21
BIG TELEPHONE PETITION
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE
leans and Caledonia counties of the
New England Telephone and Telegraph
company and at said organization said
New England telephone and telegraph
company received and owned and still
owns controlling interest in said Pas
sumpsic Telephone company.
''That at the time of said organiza-
ton and for lone. time previous and
ever since May l., 1910, there was
operated in said Orleans and Essex
counties, an independent telephone
company and that said two companies
were in active competition that the
rates of said two companies were
substantially the same; and that on or
about May l, 1910, the said Passumpsic
Telephone company purchased said
competing independent company !; that
at the time of the organization of said
PaSSumpSic telephone company there
was then in operation in Caledonia
county another independent company
which had been in operation for some
time, and which remained in operation
until May I. 1912, and that said in
dependent company in Caledonia coun-
ty and said Passumpsic Telephone COM
pany during all said time were in
dCClNC COulpcClIiOIls dfIO CI1dO llc IdIcS
of the two companies were substantial
ly the same.
''That on or about May 1, 1912, said
Passumpsic Telephone company pur-
chased said Independent company in
Caledonia county; that there has been
in operation in the south end of Or
leans county two other Independent
telephone companies which were in
active opposition to the Passumpsic
Telephone company with substantially
the same rates, until on or about May
]. 1913, when said two last named in
dependent companies were purchased
by said Observation-Disclosures company
that the service Of SAID Passumpsic
Telephone company, including its pur
chased lines, has deteriorated to quite
an extent, and is not now a good,
sufficient or satisfactory service; that
during all the time that the Pas
sumpsic Telephone company has been
in operation in said counties, it has
enlarged it's plant and lines so as to
make it a much more valuable prop
erty; that on April 1, 1913, after
having acquired the two first men
toned companies, said Passumpsic
Telephone company raised it's rates to
users of it's telephones to very large
degree. to wit, SO cents per month,
and at the same time narrowed the
zone which the subscribers would
have the right to talk upon without
toll that we understand, are informed
and believe that there are a large mum
Der of telephone companies in the state
of Vermont, the majority Of whose stock
;. is owned or controlled by said New
England Telephone and Telegraph
company; that by reason of said
subsidiary lines of the New England
company the tariffs for long distance
calls are much larger than they used
to be or would be if said subsidiary
lines were in the name of the New
England Telephone and Telegraph
company.
"We would therefore represent that
we understand, are informed and
| believe and assert and feel very
strongly that the rates and charges Of
the subsidiary lines of the New
| England Telephone and Telegraph
company and many other telephone
companies. all within the state of
Vermont. are very much too high, and
that the service is very poor and all
the time deteriorating, and that there
should be some sort of remedy granted
to the people of Vermont in the
premises, and we therefore pray your
excellency to cause such Investigation,
in behalf of the signers hereto and Of
all the people of the state, to be made
as will discover the truth with relation
to these matters. and take. such steps
as your eXcellency may deem wise, to
procure for the people of this state
reasonable rate and suitable service.
"All of which we respectfully
submit