Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-12-18
FINISH PROBING
CHIEF ENGINEER
Witnesses Verify Inventory o.
Telephone Property for Pub
lie Service Commission.

Montpelier Dec 12.-Thc cross-exami
nation of George K Manson chief engi
neer Of the New England Telephone com
pany, who has been on the witness stand
for the best part Of two weeks. was con.
rluded this noon at the telephone inquiry
before the public service commission The
company had filed some time ago the in.
vcntory Of its plant and subsidiaries taken
last fall which the STATE desired explained
by the men in actual charge. This neccs-
Stated the calling Of the district ana sub
sidlary managers who explained the meth
cd used to count and classify the poles
and measure and grade the wire This
part OF the proceedings went along quickly
md not much time WAS occupied examin-
ing or cross.questloning the witnesses
The hearing will adjourn tomorrow
noon in time for tho commissioners. attor-
neys and Witnesses to leave town on the
early afternoon trains. The hearing will
be resumed Tuesday morning and con
tinuo until Friday with adjournment oyor
christmas week unless the session ends by
I that time which is not expected. ms IT Is
believed that the state will take up at
least two weckks and probably more. The
examination Of witnesses from within the
State this afternoon was conducted by
Attorney J. G.. Sargent for the telephone
company.
Chief Engineer Manson began his testi-
mony this morning, in reply 70 direct qucs
lions by explaining two Of tho items that
entered into the unit cost for various toIc-
/ phone supplies, ono Of 10 per cent. as a
supply charge and one Of four per cent,
| pnid the Western Electric company Mr.
| la
purchasing agent for the various Ben
companies aud for this service it WAS
paid a four por cent commission on all
material not Of it's own manufacture
| Asked whether he considered this a fair
price for this service ms purchasing agent.
he said he felt quito sure II was The
supply charge # 10 per cent was an ac-
| tual expenditure, the witness said. and il
was comprised Of the cost Of maintaining
various stock rooms throughout the terri
! tory, the wages Of stock clerks and the
cost Of handling this stock IN and out Of
| the stock room II did not include the
| freight charge he said. but did include the
cost of teamng from the freight station
DEPRECIATION PERCENTAGE.
Mr. Manson then gave the dcprecia ton
piled to the property Of the different com
panies In Vermont. "a determined by these
unit costs. For the Champlaln Valley
| company the annual depreciation allow
| ance should he be : SO per cent for the
Franklin county, s4s per cent: for the
Passumpsic Co. SAB for the Vermont
Telephone and Telegraph company $50
per cent; for the New England Telephone
md ra1o
per cent and for the combined New Eng.
land company and its four Vermont subsi-
diary companies, 100 per cent
Mr.. Manson submitted three large vol.
umes of figures, being the data from
which certain charts presented by him
were made.
Attorney Cook began his cross.exami-
nation by asking the witness II he knew
the amount Of plant in Vermont not now
in use but invested for future use This
question developed a lengthy coloqly The
witness began by explaining that system
might be laid with six ducts OF which
only two might be needed for immediate
use. Practically every such piece Of plant
would have TO be built with an allowance
! for a reasonable margin of growth be-
cause it would be impossible to dig up the
]
purpose Of putting In new ducts and new
| cable.
! In answer to a question by Chairman
! Bacon, the witness said that he estimated
that between 80 and 50 per cent Of the
! plant. exclusive Of subscribers stations.
| is IN actual use, and that this margin was
constantly growing smaller.
| Mr.. Cook then ques STONED the witness
|
lowancc for future growth In the St
Johnsbury central office The witness SAID
nctw switchboard there was composed
of IL sections with provisions for five
sections NOT YET installed.
Mr. Cooks next question related to the
labor costs In Installing telephones. For
the installation Of a main wall magnetic
telephone the inventory figure was Sl.47.
and for magnetic rural wall set S223.
Mr.. Manson said these figures also in
cluded such incidental expenses as team
hire md carfare He estimated the actual
labor cost Of installing telephone at
Sl.00 10 SIPS.
OTHER WITNESSES HEARD
George II Dresser, general Superinten-
dent of plant of the New England Tele-
! phone company, was called 10 the stand
after Mr. Manson and qualified as m eX-
pert by giving his telephone biography.
He began rs might operator in 1881, and
has come mp through successive stnges
until he is now the head of the construc-
/ tion department for the entire company.
| He gave II AS his opinion that the plant
of the New England Telephone company
in Vermont had deprecated - 10 II per
cent, in other words. that II represented
that much less than the value Of a new