New Britain herald., 1918-03-25

head expenses. The commission ruled l that substantial latitude should Dc given to the respondent, and test- mony affecting the companys system as a whole was offered and admitted in evidence.
 General Statement.
 The evidence in the case consists or more than 700 pages of typewriter 1 testimony together with S8 exhibits 1 containing detailed statistics, graphic l and other information and data, and, l by reference, all official records and 1 documents on file and record in the l commissions office, bearing in any way upon the issues involved. Illuminat- 1 ing and somewhat lengthy briefs were ] filed by counsel, the respondents ! brief treating exhaustively the evil i dence in analytical sub- divisions and i reproducing in convenient form most of the exhibits presented. The com- mission will not undertake to make a detailed hndlng or even complete standardization of all the facts su5- mitted, but, having made a careful study and analysis of all the matters /, presented, will set forth as concisely as possible the material facts govern ing it's final conclusions and order. In this connection we deem it inform
 
 origin, composition and operating &C., tiVitieS of the respondent company.
 History of the Company.
 A history of the properties and com panies now owned or operated by the respondent is a history of nearly all the street railway companies in Con- necticut. The evolution of what is now The Connecticut Company is the 70 nf a c and purchases of numerous street railway ompanies, changes of names. and other similar transactions. It be- gins on short disconnected lines with the operation of small, wooden, fourWheeled car weighing about 400 pounds, with a seating capacity of 14 passengers and drawn by one horse, on an oval iron rail spiked to wooden stringers. It's latest maximum devel- opment is a steel constructed car 35 feet in length, weighing about 1000 pounds, having a seating capacity of 52 passengers, with four 50-horse- power electric motors. operated over a large system of connected lines with the maximum size steel rail in use weighing 124 to 130 pounds to the yard.
 The first charter for q street rail- way company in Connecticut was granted in 1859 to the Hartford and Wethersf1eld Horse Railway company, and at the close of the 1917 session Of the general assembly there had been granted 166 special charters to street railway companies, involving both horse-drawn and electric methods of propulsion. Of these 1s6 original charters, 83 have lapsed or have otherwise been discontinued, and of the remaining 83 chartered companies, 63 are now owned or oper- ated by the Connecticut company.
 The process of consolidation first started with the Thompson Tramway company, chartered in 1901, the name of which was changed by decree of the superior court for New Haven county in 1902 to the Worcester and Connecticut Eastern Railway company. The name of the latter company was changed by decree of the superior court for New Haven 1 county in May 1904, to the Consoli- dated Railway company which com pany, after acquiring many street railway properties, was merged with the New York, New Haven and Hart ] ford Railroad company on May 31, 1907.
 The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad company continued to acquire additional street railway properties until June 30, 1910, at which date practically all of the street railway properties then owned i by that company were turned over to the Connecticut company on a capi- talizatton of $40, 100000, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Rail- road company owning all of the capi- tai stock
 During the fiscal year ending June 30, 1913 the capital stock of the Con- necticut Company was transferred to the New England Navigation com- pany, one of the subsidiary compan- ies of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad company. By an order of the district court of the United States for the southern district of New York, dated October IT, 1914, said capital stock was assigned and transferred to five trustees, with authority to hold said capital stock and exercise all the powers in the management of the Connecticut com pany which the owners of the shares of said capital stock are entitled to exercise, until the said shares of capi- tai stock shall have been sold, as therein provided
 At the time the several companies were being merged with the Consoli- dated Railway company. The Con- necticut Railway and Lighting com- pany absorbed and operated a num- Der of street railway lines in the southwestern part of the state, all of which were leased to the Consolidated Railway company in 1906 for the l term of 999 years and are now oper- ated under the terms of said lease by the respondent.
 The first identity of the Connecti- cut company appears under a charter granted to the Thomaston Tramway