The Cordova daily times., 1919-06-03
SUPREME COURT RULES FAVOR
 GOVT. RATES

ciated Press) ).-Authority of the post master general to increase intra3tate telephone and telegraph rates al de- cided yesterday by the supreme burt was involved in proceedings brought from South Dakota, MassachuSetts, Kansas, and Illinois and argued stere on May and 6. All grew out oS MT. Burleson's order placed in effe0 on January 21 last under authority q the joint resolution by which the gdsern- ment acquired control of the wird sys- tens, increasing telephone intraetate toll rates with the exception of the Illinois case which involved incr4ssed telegraph rates only.
 Arguments of the cases in tht su- preme court attracted wide attehton and attorney generals from scote of states were present while briefs as amici curiae were filed by the Naanal Association of Railroad and Pfblic Utility commissioners representing thirty-seven states as well as by the states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania md Ohio and also by the Protective Aele- phone Association of Baltimore, ,E Md.
 The South Dakota case respted from injunctions granted by the tate supreme court restraining the Dalota Central Telephone Company as Well as three other companies in that late from charging rates promulgatee by MT. Burleson. The proceedings kere instituted by the state authoritiea md the state court in granting the in5mc- tions held that the rates were i4gal as they had not been approved bY the state board of railroad commissiOGrs.
 The government won the Mass$hu- setts case in which the state cxrts dismisse d injunction proceedngs brought by the state public setdce commission to restrain the New Eng land Telephone and Telegraph E'm- pany from placing the order intx ef- feet, the court holding that the suit in effect was against the United Sfes government and brought without it's consent. In that case, the state km- mission also contended that the 1kes were illegal as they had been ple eed in effect without the commission'aap- proval as required by state statut1. The Kansas case was different tom the others in that it was an Gfo@al proceeding brought in the su We court to restrain the postmaster gen eral from carrying out the provisions of his order in that state on the grounds that the rates had not been approved by the state authorities as provided by law and that they were illegal and exorbitant
 The Illinois proceedings were orig inally instituted by Postmaster Gen. eral Burleson who sought to restrain state authorities from interfering with the enforcement of his order increas- ing telegraph toll rates. A temporary injunction was granted but when the case came upon it's merits, Federal District Judge Landis dissolved the injunction and instead enjoined the postmaster general from placing his order into effect. To permit an appeal, Judge Landis granted an order con- tinuing for ten days the temporary injunction originally awarded Mr. Bur leson and withheld enforcement of his own injunction during that time but upon the governments motion, the su- preme court extended this order so as to permit the postal authorities to con tinue to collect the higher rates pend- ing final determination of this case.
 Yesterdays opinion was regarded as being of sweeping importance in view of the fact that suits involving similar questions have been instituted in about twenty-five states with the re- suit that in South Dakota, Florida, In diana, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York and Michigan decision against the government have been rendered in the state courts while in the federal courts in Florida, Indiana, New Jersey, Wisconsin and North Dakota as well as in the state courts of Alabama, Louisiana, Massachusetts and Okla homa, the right of the postmaster gen eral to fix rates has been sustained. In addition, litigations have also been in other states among then being Kansas, Georgia. Mississippi Texas and California.
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