Evening star., 1918-06-25
REJECTS THEPLEA
OF TELEPHONE Co.
Utilities Board Denies En-
phaticaIIy the Application
for Immediate Relief.
RENEWS CALL FOR FACTS

Relief Of any character fatty and
emphatically was denied the Chesa-
peake and Potomac Telephone Com
pany by the Public Utilities Commits
sion today, pending the clearing up Of
certain questions the commission
wants more light on.
At hearing at the municipal build
ing. attended by all the big lawyers
of the United States bureau of stand
ards, Postmaster Chance, representing
the Postmaster General, and numerous
representatives Of citizens associa-
tions, the commission. through Chair
man Brownlow, announced in no un-
certain terms that the company must
give it the facts called for or there
will be no decision on its rate in
crease application.
General Counsel Swayze of New
York complained of the commissions 8
latitude, declaring immediate relief is
imperative and that the commission l6
unjust in refusing to give RELIEF or
decide the case, that the company may
go to another forum.
Hearing Goes Over for Two Weeks
The hearing was adjourned for two
weeks. At that time representatives
of the bureau Of standards will pre-
sent facts growing out of their in
vestfgation of the local telephone sit
uation and bearing upon the cost and
length Of time that would be involved
in installing automatic telephones in
Washington.
1t had been expected the hearing
would go on today, but the bureau
Of standards asked for moro time. A
letter was read from Director STRAIT
ton of the bureau. stating that a
more comprehensive investigation is
desirable. He said that the investi-
cation would be a cooperative one
between the bureau and the COM
pany and that pending the working
out of plan for permanent relief
the company asks for immediate re-
lief. to be effected through a tenn
porary Surcharge on commercial
service.
The company also suggests, as
part of the temporary plan, Director
Stratton stated, to propose to the
government that an equalization be
made where government rates appear
to be discriminatory and that all gov
ernment rates be subject to the same
surcharge as commercial rates. Also,
the company would seek from the
government additional reimburse
ments for extraordinary expenses in
CURED incident to war requirements.
Chairman Brown1ow's Decision.
After reading the letter from Di-
rector Stratton, Chairman Brownlow
said it did not alter the position of
the commission that it must complete
the record OF testimony in the case
before taking any action whatever.
He said the record as it stands is
contradictory. and that the testimony
own mind as to the facts in the case.
He also stated that the company had
not answered a letter sent 1t by the
commission under date of May !, con-
tanning nineteen questions bearing on
phases Of the telephone issue that the
commission wants cleared up.
Attorney R. v. Mayre of New York
said the letter had not been answered
for the reason that the company did
not possess the information upon
which it could base answers to most
Of the questions.
Unable to State Cost.
Mr.. swayze said 1t was impossible
at this time to answer the questions
as to the cost Of installing automatics
or the time that would be required.
Some of the commissions questions,
he declared, could not be answered in
six months.
Mr.. Swayze contended that the
question of Immediate relief could be
separated from the other questions
entering into the case, particularly
the suggestion for the installation Of
automatics.
THE record is now so extremely
contradictory in many RESPECTS"
Chairman Brownlow replied, that it
would be impossible for the commits
sion to consider the question of re-
lief, either temporary or permanent
until all the testimony that can be
adduced is presented. It is neither
unjust nor unreasonable to ask for
facts that have been asked for in
this record. We want them cleared
up. The hearing is adjourned for two
weeks"