News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1913-07-23
PREP AIRED TO
FURNISH FACTS
Telephone Company Replies 10
Governors Committee
COUNSEL JONES' STATEMENT

duction of Rates, Which Business
Does Not Warrant
Mr.. M. B. Jones, counsel for the
New England Telephone and Tele-
graph company, takes direct issue
with the recommendation for reduc-
tions of telephone rentals and TOLL
rates by Governor Fletcher's special
telephone commission. He denies
that his company declined to furnish
information to this commission ana
sharply questions the accuracy OF
several of the statements of fact pre-
scented in these recommendations.
Mr.. Jones says: 81 have read
the report of Governor Fletcher's
special commission with interest.
1.-The principal attempt to justify
the report appears to be based upon
the alleged refusal or neglect OF the
New England Telephone and Tele-
graph company and its subsidiaries to
furnish Messrs. Graham and Cook
with information.
Upon this point I desire to take
direct and emphatic issue with these
gentlemen.
Instead of refusing them informa-
ton | wrote to them on June 6 Of
fering any information concerning the
New England company and its subsid-
iaries that you may desire and since
that date information, both verbal and
written, has been furnished at great
length. In only one instance was in
formation declined. Messrs. Graham
and Cook requested us to furnish the
names and addresses of your stock
holders, the amount held by each.
This | declined to give, on the ground
that it involved the personal rights
of our stockholders, but at the same
time | offered to furnish them with
a statement of the amount of stock
held by the New England company in
each of its subsidiaries. To this Of
fer Messrs Graham and Cook made
no reply.
THE requests made by these gentle
men were very general and it was
matter of much time and labor to
compile the statistics desired, but data
was forwarded as rapidly as it could
be prepared. l forwarded certain data
as late as Monday, July IA, as no init
nation had been given by the special
commissioners that they had filed
their report or even that they were
near the point of completing their in
vestigations. In fact the attitude of
this special commission has appar-
emily been that of unWillingness to
use information rather than eagerness
to receive it. l have no desire to
thresh out the detail of this extended
matter at this time but in support of |
my statement I will cite two or three !
from the report.
81. The report states that traffic |
contracts between the New England |
Telephone and Telegraph company
and the independent companies pro- |
hibit them from connecting with any
other company without our consent.
THE fact is that all our contracts
made since 1910 expressly permit a
with any other company
and | explained verbally to the spe-
cial commissioners in response to
their question that we had repeatedly
urged all companies to substitute this
form of contract for the old or obso-
etc one.
go. The report says that the New
England company leases receivers
md transmitters to all its subsidiaries
md a majority of its other connect
ng companies, charging to some rs
cents and to others $125 a year.
THE fact is, as pointed out by me
n a memorandum sent to Messrs.
Graham and Cook on June 90, that no
company, subsidiary OF
is obliged to rent its in
truments of the New England COM
AMY, but is at liberty to purchase
heir own instruments. Where com
,anies elect to lease their instru-
nents the price to all is rs cents per
ear. This information was fur
ished Messrs. Graham and Cook in
writing.
80. The report says that copies OF
ontracts between the New England
ompany and the American Telephone
nd Telegraph company and a copy
t our contract with the Western
Electric company have not been pre-
ented to us or furnished in accord
nee with our requests.
AS to our contracts and relations
18th the American Telephone and
telephone company l made an ex-
ended statement at St. Adams on
uly 3 in response to questions of
lessrs. Graham and Cook, and as TO
ne Western Electric company con- !
act, l personally sent a COPY of this ,
ontract to Mr.. Graham on July
18th the following letter:
July 8, 1913. 1
Hon. Warner A. Graham, Special I
Counsel Vermont Public Service /
Commission, Bellows Falls, Vt: :
Dear Sir: Replying to your favor
June 25 enclose herewith copy of 3
II contract with the Western Elec- :
ic company. You will note that this 4
,ntract is dated March 81. 1913. As +
matter of fact the relations estab- =