The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1921-09-14
PROPOSE PROBE TO
INVESTIGATE BOTH
Phone, COMMISSION
poto Raise By State Board
N0' Now Seems Absolute
Certainty
.rTTON OF MEMBERS
COMES UNDER FIRE
qoIephone Company Will
Receive It's Share of
Attention, Too

ufieal activities III bouIoioA-
.,vs them before, and each legisia- !
j. session we hear more no less of
.osad probing Of first one thing
- then another. The present ex-
.-.o,dinary session is no exception to
~ aid rule. AS soon as the two
s.r.es started in to actual work last
.ot there was a small-siked flood OF
..,nositions to probe this thing, that
.s,.v and the other thing. Nothing
!. All surprising in this move, and
a.,bans the move is well aimed and
u, uncover certain things which the
.sneral public, as well as the sena-
tors and representatives wish to
inow.
Among the probes that stands pro-
mlnent and promiscously forth is one
aimed at the railroad commission,
-cw known as the public service COM
mission. also the Cumberland tele-
.hope company. The granting of an
.,erease in telephone. rates by the
Aforesaid commission is the crux OF
me whole matter. The people OF the
state are too familiar with the circum-
dances to require a freshing Of their
minds on it. We recall the facts only
N an Abbreviated form.
lust at the time when tn etide OF
nigh prices and high everything else
had begun to slump, the cry went
m from the telephone trust that It
wanted an increase in rates; that it
must have it if the company was TO
continue to do business with a fair
and legitimate profit to its stock
.s,rith it filed It's application
~ then railroad commission
WIN be authorized to put the
ai rates in effect. The request
d accompanied by a flood of propa-
.nda scattered all over the state
showing in facts and figures, alluring
"a the eve and appealing to the mag
nation. why this request should De
granted The people however, were
not satisfied and when action came
N the commission a delegation ap-
peared before that body to protest
against the granting of the raise and
thew nut up a great fight, so great
IN fact. that the commission took II
under advisement and adjourned
stating the decision on the question
would be handed down later. Every
one left, perfectly satisfied that the
right thing would be done.
The surprise came within orlel
time following adjournment. a
lengthy decision was given out grant
ing the increase prayed for, the de
cision being signed by two memner'
Of the board, Michel and Taylor
majority of the commission. SO sud
i den was this about-change fired at th'
people that everyone gasped with VOL
der Something was wrong, every
body averred, and everybody scenes
to be right. But it was done and ther
was nothing to do but raise a Pre-
test
The protest came, from every se'
iIon and en- strongly was it voice
and so emphatic was its terms ina
Taylor and Michel had to sit up an
take notice. They agreed to reope
The hearing and fufther time wa
given the protestants to show caus
why the raise should not stand, but
The meantime, pending the rehearini
the increase must be paid, ana
finally, the telephone trust loses OF
It win have to reimburse the su
scribers to the service the amoul
paid in since March over and abo'
the old rates charged.
This strange policy on the part
the commission and the secret act1'
ties on the part of the telephone COZ
pny is the basis for one Of the pr
sentIy proposed legislative prooe
What viii result in the propositi'
still hangs in the obscure offing-u
weird and mysterious tangles OF leg
lative procedure, and II impeachme
proceedings are instituted again
Taylor and MicheI-as has be
several times advised and threaten
there may be some lively tim
staged in the senate when that DO
convenes as a court of impeachme
to try the two commission memoe
on charges originating in the ho'
Of representatives,
There are other probes in prosp'
but this one relating to the raiiro
Commission and the activities OF
telephone company are about
most interesting to the most peo