The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-03-17
So Says Public Service Com
mission in Order in
Telephone Case
WARNER DISSENTS
FROM MAJORITY VIEW
Thinks Order Disregards Undisputed
Evidence Nearly 1000 Subscribers
Affected in Five Companies = Toll
Rates Undisturbed.

I
Affected in Five Companies = Toll
Rates Undisturbed
Bx an order Of the Vermont pub
lie service commission. made public
last night, one member dissenting. the
New England Telephone & TELEGRAPH T
company. three Of its subsidiary com /
Panio- and one independent telephone .
company are directed to reduce their I
exchange service rates in Vermont and
file a notit1 Of the changes ordered T
with the commission within 80 davS. /
The reduction ordered affects about l.
600 subscribers Of the New England
company, 1924 subscribers OF the Yer /
mont Telephone 4 Telegraph company I
OF Montpelier. 600 subscribers of the /
Franklin County Telephone company I
of II. AibauS and lG6 subscribers OF /
the thamplain Valley Telephone com
Fauy Of Brandon, subsidiaries Of the |
New England company, ana l25 sub !
Scrbcr9 OF the Springfield Local Telc
phone company OF Springfield This
makes total OF 81 little less than : =
GOO of the 22."1o subscribers served
hy these companies, and, the average
i At'tttf l30+i IL Il tiltIt less imam - tsttit.
annually 40 reduction is ordered in
the toll services, and the reductions or
| jered for exchange service affect only
/ lines having sin or more parties. with
one or two exceptions.
+ IT. the telephone companies are dis
/ satisfied with The order they may ap.
1 peal to the ~upreme court OF the state
or they may bring bill in equity in
I the federal court to restrain tine en-
for|emeut OF the order. II Is presumed
that there viii he further legal pro
. eeediugs lu the case.
I The public service commission Is
composed Of Robert e. Bacon OF Brat
/ tieboro. PARK H. Pollard 1T Chester
4 and William h. Warmer ct fesgenues.
Mr.. Warner di~sents from the findings
of the other members, and in the or
der gives his reasons therefor. For
/ weeks the public has been waiting for
the order. recognizing the fact that To
sitt out and digest the evidence in
from 5,0oo 70 5000 pages Of tvrcwrit
] ten testimony was no small task. This
testimony was taken ut II hearing in
Montpelier.
History of the Case.
To make tine order clear it viii be
necessary to give briefly. the history
of the case. On ,Iauc !. 1913, the pub
lie service commission. then consisting
OF Charles ~ Watson If 81 Aibaus.
George H. Babbitt of Bellows Falls
ana William r. Warner of Ncrgcnncs.
empowered T. \ Cook of LyHdpnvilIc
and ". ~ Graham of Bellows Falls
aS special counsel to make "a general
investigation of the telegraph and telc-
phone companies of Vermont The re
port of the special counsel was made
; public July -. 1t recommended Ger
tain rates for telephone exchange ser
wee and reduction Of 20 per cent in
: telephone toll service
COY. A. W. Fletcher stated 10 the
public service commission his belief
, that il was the plain duty of the com
RI mission to take such steps as would
i speedily relieve existing conditions
+ and determine the state 5 rights to
5 regulate and control these corpora
tions. There was disagreement be
u tween the Governor and the commis-
! sion TO to the method of procedure. and
two mcmbers Mr.. Watson and the late
r MIR. Babbitt, resigned Both had been
@ appointed bv Governor Fletcher. Mr.
t Warner, who was appointed by Gov
q John A. Mead, did. not resign. Gov
+ emor Fletcher appointed MI bacon
i chairman ami MIR. Pollard to ill th,
v other vacancy-
\ hearing was begun in MontPellc'
Sept. 80, the varIous companies IN the
III state being notified To appear and SHOW
- cause. if they bad any, why the com
mission should not make an order re
duciug the rates TO correspond Wit
: the special counsel 5 recommendations
: The hearing adjourned Jan. !. On Jan
81 the New England company com
q sci filed a brief with the commission
stating that the proposed reductions
: would be unjust and condseatorE an'
Il that ne evidence had been adduced 4
: support the allegation that the rate
were unreasonable. The state filed n
: brief.
Seven Companies Considered.
OF the 100 or more telephone com