Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1915-11-25


dependent Telephone Exchange for any
connection through the switch board of
the Mineral Point Telephone company.
1t may be roughly said that as for
such service as would be required by
the subscribers of the Farmers indie
pendent Telephone Exchange there
would be the present charge of So 90
for switching, and another charge aver
aging not less than $1.00 (f on toll
basis, and in all switching charge
amounting at least to $500 in the City
of Mineral Point. The Mineral Point
Telephone Company is not only willing
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
dered, it appears that the expense to
the subscribers of petitioner for SER
vice in the City of Mineral Point would
be at least twice what it would be if
the direct connection with switch board
of the Mineral Point Telephone Com
pany 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 burden on the SER
vice to be rendered.
If companies connected with a local
exchange like the Mineral Point ex-
change can withdraw and establish
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
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
entailing 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 irreparable
injury to the owners or other users of
the fac ilities 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 for the ordering of physical
connection at this time.
1t 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. /. 1t would certainly
appear that the Commission was with
out authority to order a physical con-
nection 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 or
equitably entitled to the relief asked
for at the present time, the petition is
dismissed.
Dated at Madison, Wisconsin, this
18th day of November, 1915.
By
CARL D. JACKSON,
HALFORE ERICKSON,
WALTER ALEXANDER.