The commonwealth., 1921-03-30
NEWS FROM THE
STATE; CAPITOL
(By Maxwell Gorman)


revision in North Carolina, in which
|every town in the State with tele
phone service is interested, is on the
board of the State Corporation Com
mission this week The hearings will
consume all of this week, as the gas !
rate hearings did last week, and In
the latter case it is expected the de-
cision may be reached to become ef- .
! fective early in April. /
The date fixed fol- the oral argu-
ment of the Southern Power Company
and the group of electrically driven
cotton mills is April goth, after which
other public service corporations will |
claim additional attention Of the C.r
poration Commission.
Ask Increased Telephone Rates
Representative Of several Of the
larger cities of the State are here to
|oppose the excessive additional
Icharge for telephone service by the
Bell Telephone Company and other
companies, and these include many
lawyers as usual.
Increase in exchange rates is asked
for both business houses and private
residences and all other like phone
rates and is much larger than any
previously granted the whole Ra-
leigh for instance is paying 25 per
cent increase ordered last year by the
Corporation Commission, but the tele-
phone people want more yet. The
existing long distance rates will not
be changed it is announced.
To start Big Road Building Job
r There have been few governors Of
: this or any other state who have had
at the outset Of their administration
as much heavy work to perform, diff
Y |ferenes to adjust, tribulations to
; bear, Of, one kind and another, as
$ Govesnaa~ Morrison has experiended
i during his three months ON the job,
/ $50 far. He is just returned from a
> short vacation visit to Charlotte, and
e finds the usual greetings from some
K newspaper correspondents and repor-
l. ters in Raleigh, who think they
r know all about everything and pro
ceed to criticize the chief executive :
e business from that viewpoint.
n Now they are magnifying the So
e. called f:unrest'' Of the recently .ap
{. pointed members Of the State High
t. way Commission. the initial meeting
y Of which was originally set for Tues
day of this week, but which they as
d sert will be delayed. The sale OF
A. bonds, or borrowing Of money in par
e on short-term notes, by the State
Of and some other important prelimin
to Governor to desire conference will
H. the full Highway Commission before
Id the first regular meeting is held
or This conference, it is expected, vii
as- be held in few days.
re, Many Details Now Ready
a The preliminary survey Of the en-
tv tire State system Of roads, $50
miles long, has been made under tn
r. direction of Mr.. Page, and the com
u mission is ready to proceed with tn
o. 'formalities of taking them over. Th
o. ldra fling department of the coiialnis
ut sion has prepared maps Of the systel
all bv counties, in accordance with th
x law. and will be ready to forwar
ct them to the County Commissioners
for posting within q day after th
On .ommission orders it dOne-
al Not only prospective road building
ry but the organization Of the author
he lied maintenance department an
of putting in into operation, is markin
ul- time until the entire commission
called together and the entire Mn
ut members take hold Of the work Of 81
ng lpervision and direction OF the grea
ire enterprise upon which the Gener;
ers Assembly determined. COMMISSIONS
ne Page has been unwilling to do otht
than general preliminary work unit
ED the full commission has feVleWeN u