Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1914-03-25
THE TELEPHONE SITUATION.

The Passumpsic Telephone company.
serving this immediate territory,
appears to be the particular bone OF
contention in many respects between
the state and the New England COM
pany in the entire telephone contro-
versy which has developed in this state
during the past year or more. The
order issued last week by the majority
of Vermont's public service commits
sion. part of which was printed in
these columns, rebukes this company
for certain transactions and asserts
that it believes the Passumpsic COM
pany was organized to suppress COM
petition. Gov. Fletcher in his remarks
before the states board Of appeal on
telephone appraisals held last week
(printed elsewhere in this issue) calls
particular attention to the doings OF
the Passumpsic company. the largest
of the Vermont subsidiaries of the
New England company. The maze Of
figures, dates and data, presented in
the explanation of the transactions Of
the Passampsic company is somewhat
confusing to one unless study Of the
matter is made and even then INSULT
cient information is supplied to arrive
at definite conclusions along some
lines. In general the counsel for the
New England company denies the
assertion by the commission that
certain transactions were "eXtrava-
giant and i'll advised and that certain
issues of stock by this company should
never have been authorized. The
Monitor will not attempt at this time
to discuss these points although it
believes there is meat in them.
The particular charge Of the public
service commission which the Monitor
would direct attention to at this time is
this paragraph:
The commission are of the opinion
that the Passumpsic company was
organized by the New England com
pany originally for the purpose Of
suppressing competition in Orleans.
Caledonia and Essex counties.
We find no denial Of this statement
in the utterances OF the New England
company's representatives. nor do we
see the minority report Of the public
service commission cover this point il
its dissenting opinion. In fact the hall
has not yet been told touching this
particular phase of the matter. That
the Passumpsic company is almost
purely a creature for the suppression
of competition is little doubted in this
territory by those who have given the
matter consideration.
Not to go back to the beginning anc
recite numerous moves of the Pas.
sumpsic company which point to this
conclusion, let US view the present
position of this company in respect tC
competition.
To certain parties at least in the
town of Glover the Passumpsic tele
phone company is today giving 81 q
month service. Glover is the center
of the new independent movement ir
the Passumpsic territory. All Glover
calls come directly to the Barton
exchange and have the same continuous
service. yet Barton subscriber car
get nothing short of $21 rate with S:
year discount for prompt payment
The Monitor expects the Passumpsi'
management has some plausible reason
for difference in these rates. but there
is madness in their reason. The rep
resentatives of the Passumpsic compan,
are quoted as stating in other Passump
sic territory that should the new indie
pendent company come into that section
the PassumpSlc company would NEE
the Independent rates. Possibly tn
Passumpsic restricts the free zone ter
ritory of these 81 a month patrons, bu
the company has no such ADVERTISE
rates and Barton applicants for servic
are told that S21 is the very cheapes
service the Passumpsic furnishes.
It's all we'll enough for the New En-
gland company to argue about it's larg
investment in the Passumpsic company
tell of the poor earnings of the com
pany, tell of the excellent service rem
dered, of the number Of stations "a
bTO1lS are dUle W Call WITHOUT COll cnarp
es, and all these things, but the fac
remains that the Passumpsic compan
is creation for the suppression Of or
position, the tool of the New Englan
company with dummy local manage
and dummy board of local directors
behind whom the New England CON
pany, with its majority of stock an
majority on the board of directors
manipulates affairs.
The Prouty movement has game
another clean and able champion in tn
Enosburg Standard, which came OF
last week in column editorial for MI
Prouty and the non-partisan move