The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1914-05-12
ON PROPOSED RAISE OF.
'WORKINGMEN'S" FARE
Hearing Begun Before Pub
lie Service Commission De-
velops Much Testimony

l60 passengers at an average cost OF
four and seventy-three one-hundredths
cents per passenger, or at loss of sew.
enteen one -hundredths of cent per pas
senger, was the statement made this
forenoon in the opening brief of the
counsel which represents the company
in the hearing which the public service
commission is holding on a petition pro-
testing against the proposed abolition of
worklngmen's two and a half cent fares
Following the reading of the brief and
the preliminary statement of s. Hollis
ter jackson, who represents the petit
tionefs, General Manager Howard T.
Sands of the traction company, took the
stand ard was still testifying when the
hearing adjourned at l2.l5 o'clock this
afternoon.
The general managers testimony was
mainly eorroboratiye of the contentious
made by counsel in the opening state
ment. Cross examination OF the witness
began at 1880 o'clock and up to the
time OF adjournment IL dealt principally
With the methods Of acquiring the trae
tion line by the present holding COM
pany. Mr.. Sands answered that in his
opinion many of the workingmen would
continue to ride and that the revenue
would be increased materially. MY
idea OF the matter is that if none OF
the workingmen ride our company would
be better of" the witness concluded.
A petition before the commission is
the direct outcome of the traction com
pany's announced determination to abol.
ish the two and half cent fare and to
charge straight five cent fare. The
protest has for its immediate sponsor
the Barre Central Labor union. but af-
fixed to the petition are the signatures
Of several prominent business and pro-
fessional men OF Barre.
The hearing began in the city court
room at 1890 o'clock All members of
the commission. Robert c. Bacon of
Brattleboro, William r. Warner of Ver-
gennes and Park H. Pollard of Proctors-
vile were present and Chairman Bacon
presided. Appearing for the petitioners
is S. Hollister Jackson. The state is
represented by States Attorney ]. Ward
Carver, according to custom. and Robert
r. Clapp of Boston and Fred E. Gleason
Of Montpelier appear as counsel for the
Barre \ Montpelier Traction & Power
Co. AT the outset it was expected that
a single day would terminate the hear
ing and that by tonight all of the evil
dence would be in the hands of the COM
mission. But mass of testimony which
both sides propose to introduce will
probably consume nearer three days in
hearing. Tomorrow the commission
goes to Middlesex TO conduct a hearing.
so it is likely that proceedings in the
present case will be held up until the
latter part of the week.
Among the men whom the traction
company win ask to take the stand are
General Manager Sands, General Man
sger Harold D. Larrabee of the Consoli-
dated Lighting Co., Alexander Macomber
OF Boston, an electrical engineer con-
nected with the traction company, Gin
ton f. Millar, local superintendent for
the Consolidated Lighting Co., and II. A.
Gidney of Boston, the company's audi
tor. Messrs. Gidney, Macomber. Sands
and Lara bee were sworn this forenoon
In its Introductory statement, eoun-
sci for the company outlined its desire
to show that the returns from the road
have never been sufficient to make pos
sible a dividend and that its proposed
abolition of half fares, so-called, is based |
entirely on the ability of the road to
meet the demands Of the riding public |
as well as the returns will permit At |
torney Gleason addressed the commits |
sion and distributed copies of the pre- |
liminary statement to the commission |
ers and to the petitioners counsel. Mr.. |
Jackson asked that the statement be |
not accepted as evidence until the state |
ments therein were verified by the evil I
dence. That, the counsel for the COM
pany proposed to do, to corroborate the |
opening brief by the testimony of its
several officials.
Since the testimony of Mr.. Sands lat |
in the opening brief, the contents of the
latter are not material.
How the Road Was Acquired.
Mr.. Sands retraced the negotiations
leading up TO the purchase of the road
from the Cory. Frost & Deavitt Co., 4
and gave an account of what the road
records show relative to the methods and h
manner of requirement which the Cory, i
Frost & Deavitt Co. employed prior to
It's disposal of the property. He con
,eded that the sum of $4,000 may i
nave represented the investment of the
men who built the road. but resented
.he idea of telling how much the trac- Il
ion company paid for the CORY, Frost
Deavitt Co. The question was nm "
answered and the petitioners counsel
.ook an exception. II
Replying to a question from the cross
Examiner, the witness declared that the
raction company has absolutely no CON
lection whatsoever with the Tenney
corporation of Boston. 1t is controlled
" the Montpelier & Barre Lighting &
Power Co., of Boston, he said, and some !
# its stockholders are shareholders in
he Tenney company. He did not think
hat all of them were represented in
10Th companies. Replying to cross ques-
ion, he declared he had no knowledge
when the road was purchased that the
wo and a half cent fare privilege was
extended by the first company '
or the purpose of getting business.
Neither at the time of the purchase {
7ss he aware that the first company in ]
907 had abolished the fare, only to re-