Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1915-11-25
THE TELEPHONE CASE
Continued from first page

dependent Telephone Exchange for any
connection through the switch board OF
the Mineral Point Telephone company
1t may be roughly said that a. for
such service as would be required by
the subscribers of the Farmers indie
pendent Telephone Exchange there
would be the present charge OF $50
for switching, and another charge aver
aging not less than sl.00 Gf on toll
basis), and in all a switching charge
amounting at least to 81. 90 in the Ci;y
of Mineral Point. The Mineral Point
Telephone Company is not only wiling
but is DESTROYS of having these lines,
constituting the Farmers Independent
Telephone Exchange, reconnected with
its switch board in the City Of Mineral
Point and offers to do the switching
and give the free service as before at
an expense of $500 per subscriber.
So that if the connection shall be or
dored, it appears that the expense &c
/ the subscribers Of petitioner for ser.
vice in the City of Mineral Point would
be at least twice what it would be il
the direct connection with switch board
of the Mineral Point Telephone Com
paDy were made. In addition to this,
any messages going to subscribers OF
the Mineral Point Telephone Company
would have to pass through one addi-
tional switch board, which would serve
to improve public service. 1t could
not but be an extra buruen on the ser
vice to be rendered.
II companies connected with local
exchange like the Mineral Point ex.
change can withdraw and establish a
switch board or exchange of their own
in the same city and require physical
connection where that exchange ser
vice is already offered at very rea-
sonable figure, it seems to US that to
order such physical connection under
such circumstances is to establish a
principal that would directly tend to
disrupt telephone service, duplicate
unnecessarily equipment and expense
with no corresponding advantage to the
telephone users, but on the contrary
entailng a direct expense and disad-
vantage.
The statute, Section 1797m-4, pro-
vides that before the Commission shall
order any such physical connection, it
must appear that public convenience
and necessity require such physical
connection and that such physical con
nection will not result in irreperable
injury to the owners or other users of
the facilities of such public utility nor
in any substantial detriment to the SER
vice to be rendered by such public
utility.
Upon the records, evidence and files,
we are unable to make the findings es-
sential Tor the ordering of physical
connection at this time.
It is also claimed by the Mineral
Point Telephone Company that the
Farmers Independent Telephone Elk
change is maintaining an unlawful eX-
change or switch board in the City of
Mineral Point; that such exchange eX-
lists contrary to the provisions of Sec
ton l797m-74. l. 1t would certainly
appear that the Commission was with
out authority to order a physical con-
necton with an illegal exchange, and
if the exchange is not legally main
tanned in the City of Mineral Point,
such physical connection ought not to
be ordered We however do not now
decide this point
AS we DO not think that the Farmers
independent Telephone is legally OF
equitably entitled to the relief asked
for at the present time, the petition is
dismissed
Dated at Madison, Wisconsin. thi,
18th day Of November, 1915.