The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-03-23
Citizens Ask Order Against
Connecticut River
Power Co.
LATTER NOT IN
RETAIL BUSINESS
willing to Furnish Current Under
Same Conditions as Is Done in Put
ney-Petitioners Decline to Guaran-
tee to Use Specific Amount.

The public service comsission had
presented to it yesterday afternoon in
its offices in the Wilder building the
claim of residents of Dummerston that
the Connecticut River Power COMPANY
OF New Hampshire should be COM
PEELED to furnish electric current for
hghtlng and power purposes to indi-
vlduals. The petitioners claim that
the charter of the company requires
the company 10 do so when properly
requested. The company asserted that
1t is, and has been, ready 10 furnish
power to citizens of Dummerstor
through some association or company.
but IS not compelled TO retail il and
does not do so anywhere.
These claims were made on a 2eti-
tion of citizens Of Dummerston asking
the commission TO issue an order com
peihng the company 10 furnish the
power. The petitioners were f. c.
Tenney, w. A. Miller. w. w. Burnett.
B. S. Balestier, Fred F. Miller, George
Armand, W. j. Armand. Carl 4. New
j ton, H. II. Miller, T. H Miller, Adm
T. Miller, C. r. Crosby, l. +. Crosby,
Z. H. Brown and Harry T Brown.
/ The petition stated that the petit
tioers desired $50 kilowats and Attor.
ney G. c. Fits for the company re-
ferred to this several times, saving
that all the petitioners had to do was
TO guarantee that amount and the
power company would provide il if
someone would build the line The
company is ready 10 sell electricity az
I two and q half cents kilowat.
The petitioners, through Attorney
W. r. Daley, were not ready to guar
antee that amount. They presented a
/ list of 10 names of citizens who are
ready TO take electricity and of FIVE
more who are almost certain prospects
In addition to that the church. the
town hall, the Grange hall and the viii
lage for several street lights are prob
able purchasers. Mr. Daley main
tained that under the law the company
is compelled to furnish electricity to
/, houses and he asked that the commits
, sion make an order TO that effect and
fix the rate to be charged
Mr.. Fits explained that the over
head charges, if the power company
: were TO undertake to retail electricity
r in Dummerston. would be much
: heavier than would be the case if loca;
, men handled the business. The power
company is ready 70 lease at nominsl
rental all necessary apparatus and sell
I, at cost price when desired. He ex-
: plained that copper wire just now i
Z verv expensive and recommended that
nothing more be done at present than
L is absolutely necessary because of the
especially heavy initial expense.
. Chairman Robert c. Bacon OF the
!, commission asked Mr.. Daley if tn,
! petitioners would be willing to guaran
: tee 500 kilowats a month. but Mr.
Daley would go no farther about guar
anteeing than to say that there wer'
at least 10 residences that would TAX
electricity at once and probably hal
IL as many more.
He said that the power COMPANY
:, sells in Putney to the Fail Mountain
8 company. a subsidiary company of tn
y Connecticut River Power Co. and tha
: if the power company could do il i
: Putney it could do the same thing Il
:, Dummerston. q remark that brough
/; from Mr. Fits the retort that a.
= Dummerson had to do was initiate Put
: nev and it would get electricity.
:. Mr.. Fits pointed out that three me
"a in Vernon had formed an associatio
. and buy electricity of the power con
:, pany and manage the distribution /
= that village. The local organization {
- do electrical business does not neee'
\ sarily have to be corporation.
~ Mr. Daley said that no one IN Dun
"A merston desired to go into the ele'
~ trical business, but they wanted ele'
nf tricitv and purposed TO find ou
whether they could get it. There Ii
matter rests.
The petition was dated Jan %. 19lt
and was filed with the commission jar
in 25. There We're two eontinuances .