Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-11-16
BELGRADE TEL. COM
PLANTS DISMISSED

The Public Utilities Commission has
rendered a decision in the complaints
Of Charles A. Hill and others Of Bel
grade against the New England Tele-
phone and Telegraph Co. and the
Maine Telephone and Telegraph Co.
dismissing the complaints The de-
cision says in part:
These are complaints filed by the
same parties complaining against the
Maine Telephone and Telegraph co.
and the New England Telephone and
Telegraph Co. which at the time Of the
hearing being so nearly identical in
character, were consolidated by agree
ment Of the parties and heard together
and can and will he decided as one
cause.
AT the hearing il developed that the
compliments understood that the New
England Co. was operating in the ter
ritory whore the compliments resided
and had service, but it was shown TO
the satisfaction Of all concerned tina.
the compliments were in error for the
reason that the New England Co.
while it had lines in a portion of Bel
grade. did not itself serve and was not
IN a position to serve any of the com
planants The evidence was therefore
directed against the Maine Co, and no
evidence was presented against tho
New England Co, which we are au-
thoriZed or warranted in considering
In any way
The Maine Telephone and TELEGRAPH
Co. is authorized to serve the town of
belgrade and adjoining territory and
has trunk lines running from Belgrade
70 Augusta II has service lines in the
town of Belgrade which reach within
little OF mile of the New England
Cos. lines in the northeast part Of the
town. but has no direct connection with
the New England Co. except at Au
gusta. with the result that messages
from Belgrade TO points outside of the
Maine Cos. territory have to GO
through Augusta.
The Maine Company has no actual
exchange at Belgrade hut EMPLOYS tho
Mount Vernon GO. to do its switching
at the Mount Vernon exchange and as
above stated has its long distance mes
sages routed via Augusta over the
New England Cos. lines and through
. the New England Cos switchboard
The Maine Co has at Belgrade AZ sinh
scribers during the summer season
and after the close of the season il
drops to about So, and has an al-the-
ye round rate and a seasonal or
summer rate for part Of. the year sui
scribers
This case is undoubtedly typical Of
considerable number of cases which
have 10 he met by public utilities com
missions and public utility companies
BY this, we mean that the Circumstance
| es which the customer knows and
which constitute the apparent facts are
of such character as to lead him tn
believe that the company is not per-
forming its full duty and is needlesslv
misuslng its customers. These circum
stances unexplained would warrant a
customer in entertaining this opinion
! but these circumstances do not always
constitute the exact fact They make
| the facts more apparent than real and
an explanation oftentimes satisfies the
customer that those things which he
/ felt were grievances are really neces-
| saryr incidents in the operation of a
company in small territory and can
not be fully remedied or changed with
out either adding an undue burden 10
| the company or an unbcarablc burden
\ to the customers.
As II general proposition ~it-snaasss l,a