The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1922-09-28
POWER COMPANIES
BITTER FIGHT ENDED
West Penn Concern, Through lis
Subsidiary, Wins Out


lions of Pennsylvania, for the control
of the strategic position occupied by
Oakland and Garrett county, the
West Penn Company has been victor
ious.
The Public Service. Commission on
Saturday filed its opinion and orders
in the case, giving the West Penn
Company, through its subsidiary, the
West Maryland Company, all that
had been asked. That was permiss-
ion to acquire the municipal electric
plant at Oakland, permitting the
West Maryland Company to exercise
all the rights, privileges and fran
chises granted it by the Mayor and
Town Council Of Oakland, and au.
thOrizing it to execute a mortgage
upon the property it already has ar
ranged to acquire.
Although only $4,000 was involved
in the sale of the property, the case
was one of the most bitterly fought
that the commission has been called
on to consider for some time. The
lawyers engaged almost outnumbered
the witnesses. For the West Mary
land Company, the counsel were
Carey, Piper & Hall, McCahill &
McCahill and Renninger & Offutt.
On the same side was Stuart F.
Hamill, representing the Mayor and
Town Council of Oakland.
Semmes, Bowen and Semmes ap-
peared for the Youghiogheny Power
Company and the Youghiogheny
Water and Electric Power Company,
and William L. Marbury, of Marbury,
GOsnell & Williams and A. C. T.
Matthews appeared for the M. D.
Walbridge Company, bankers, who
are interested in the Penn Public Ser
vice Company, with which the
YOughiogheny companies are allied.
Some time ago the West Penn
Company entered into a contract
with the Mayor and Town Council of
Oakland for the purchase of the Oak
land plant for $4,000. In order to
have its dealings with the Public
Service Commission through Mary
land company, it organized as a sub
sidiary the Western Maryland Com
pany to take over the property.
To this company the Oakland mu-
nicipal corporation granted a fran
chise extending over so years, and
entered into contract with it for
electric service in the town. 1t also
Joined in the company's petition for
approval of the sale of the electric
plant.
No protest against the various
petitions was filed, but when the case
came up for a hearing short time
ago the counsel for the Youghioghenv
companies and for the Walbridge
Company appeared and made oral
PANNNSS' 1LCy SldlIuSu IldI IHpN
were prepared to develop the power
on the Youghiogheny, which they
were authorized by acts of the Legis-
lature many years ago to do; that
they were willing to take over the
Oakland plant on the same terms
that the Western Maryland Company
offered, and that in the meantime
they would be able to supply current
for Oakland and for the coal mines
in the Upper Potomac field, which the
West Penn Company was planning
to serve through power supplied by
the Penn Public Service Company.
1t was argued that if the West
Penn Company should be allowed
to secure the Oakland plant and get
into the territory it proposed to sup
ply this would result in turning over
to the West Penn Company, through
its subsidiary, the West Maryland
Company, of territory to which the
Youghiogheny companies were en-
titled. Moreover, they claimed, it
would seriously hamper and retard,
if not jeopardize, the proposed de-
velopment by them of the power of
the Youghiogheny river.
The Commission, in its opinion,
which was prepared by Commissioner
Harper, who sat alone in the case,
pointed out that it had been shown
that the power to be generated by
the development of the Youghiogheny
would be approximately 100000
horsepower, or $4,000 kilowatts,
while for many years to come the use
locally in Garrett county would be
but small fraction of this amount,
probably not more than 5 per cent.
"Clearly," states the opinion. "the
scope of operations contemplated by
the Youghiogheny companies is
much broader than the field offered
by the town of Oakland and the coal
mines Of Garrett county proposed to