CALIFORNIA. Railroad Commission. In re INVESTIGATION ON THE COMMISSION'S OWN MOTION REGARDING THE ADEQUACY OF TELEPHONE SERVICE RENDERED BY THE SOUTHWESTERN HOME TELEPHONE COMPANY IN THE TOWN OF MURRIETTA. Case No. 1953 - Decision No. 12893. Decided December 1, 1923. Order to Establish an Exchange Issued. OPINION. This is a proceeding instituted by the Commission upon its own motion requiring the Southwestern Home Telephone Company to show cause why it should not establish an exchange and render telephone service in the town of Murrietta and adjacent territory, and to charge for such service the rates now in effect for similar service in other places served by Southwestern Home Telephone Company. A public hearing was held in this matter before Examiner Williams in the town of Murrietta on November 1. 1923. Murrietta is a town of approximately 200 inhabitants, located approximately 11 miles south of the town of Elsinore. At present, the only telephone service available in Murrietta is a toll station operated by the Southwestern Home Telephone Company in conjunction with the toll lines of The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company. The Commission's investigation shows that there are approximately 25 subscribers now desiring service. The Southwestern Home Telephone Company stipulated, at the hearing, that there did exist a demand for telephone service in Murrietta and that it is willing to establish an exchange at Murrietta under such rates as the Commission might fix in this proceeding. C. L. 145] Southwestern Home Telephone Company stated that although it believed the rates for Murrietta service should be fixed to give it an 8 per cent. return upon the investment in the plant required to render service in Murrietta, yet it believed that such rates would be so high that the development which should logically result would not be obtained. In view of this, the company further stated that it would be willing to submit a schedule based upon the Elsinore rates, as previously suggested by the Commission, with the exception of that rate applicable to eightparty service within Block 1. These rates appear to this Commission to be reasonable, and the order following will provide that they be made effective for the exchange service to be rendered at Murrietta. It was brought out at the hearing that Southwestern Home Telephone Company had made certain tentative propositions to the people of Murrietta, quoting them certain rates somewhat lower than the rates now being charged for service in Elsinore. If, at any time in the future, Southwestern Home Telephone Company believes that it can better serve the community by the establishment of lower rates than those set forth in the order following, the company may file such rates with the Railroad Commission. ORDER. The Railroad Commission having instituted a proceeding on its own motion requiring Southwestern Home Telephone Company to show cause why it should not establish an exchange and render telephone service in the town of Murrietta and adjacent territory; and charge for said service the rates now in effect for similar service in other places served by Southwestern Home Telephone Company; a public hearing having been held; the matter having been submitted and now ready for decision, The Railroad Commission hereby finds as a fact that there is a demand for telephone service in the town of Murrietta; that the Southwestern Home Telephone Company should establish an exchange at that place and charge for said service the rates as herein set forth, which are the rates for similar service now in effect in other places served by Southwestern Home Telephone Company. Basing its order on the foregoing finding of fact and the findings of fact set forth in the opinion preceding this order, It is hereby ordered, That Southwestern Home Telephone Company shall, (1) Establish a magneto exchange in the town of Murrietta. (2) Commence work on the establishment of the exchange in the town of Murrietta within thirty days from the date of this order. (3) Notify this Commission within thirty-five days of the date of this order, relative to its compliance with the order in Section (2) above. (4) Be in a position to render telephone service, covered by the rates hereinafter set forth, to applicants for service, within ninety days of the date of this order. (5) Notify this Commission within five days after being ready to render service, as required under Section (4) above. (6) Charge and collect the following rates for service rendered in the town of Murrietta and adjacent territory: Local service from pay stations, 5 cents per call. [Cal C. L. 145] (c) Mileage: The above individual line rates are based on a distance of one-half mile from the central office. Rates for individual line service beyond a distance of one-half mile from the central office shall be the individual line rate, plus a mileage charge of 50 cents for each onequarter mile, or fraction thereof, per month. Distances are air line and not circuit mileage, measured from the nearest point on the one-half mile circle. Rates for four-party line service in Block 2 will be the rates for that service in Block 1, plus a mileage charge of 25 cents for each one-quarter mile, or fraction thereof, per month, per station. Distances are air line and not circuit mileage, measured from the nearest point of the boundary of Block 1. (d) Discounts: Allowed on gross rates (if paid before the tenth in If paid quarterly in advance (before the tenth, the first .... If paid annually in advance. (e) Auxiliary Apparatus: Desk telephones, additional.. Extension bell Insertion in directory: extra insertion of names in (7) Establish exchange boundaries as set forth in its Exhibit No. 3. (8) File with the Commission the above rates and charges and maps showing the exchange boundaries, as required by General Order No. 68,* within thirty days of the date of this order. Dated at San Francisco, California, this first day of December, 1923. *See Commission Leaflet No. 140, p. 150. WESLEY ROBERTS COMPANY et al. v. SoOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TELEPHONE COMPANY. Case No. 1955- Decision No. 12912. Decided December 11, 1923. Petition to Eliminate Toll Charges Denied. OPINION. In this proceeding, Wesley Roberts Company, et al., request this Commission to require Southern California. Telephone Company to render telephone service to petitioners from its Los Angeles central offices, and thereby eliminate the present Los Angeles-Glendale toll charges. The territory within which the petitioners reside, involved in this proceeding, is located between York Boulevard and the northerly boundary line of the city of Los Angeles, which is also the southerly boundary line of the city of Glendale, on or near Verdugo Road. This territory is located partly within the Glendale exchange area, served by The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company, and partly within the Los Angeles exchange area, served by Southern California Telephone Company. In connection with Application No. 6285,* this Commission made an investigation to determine the proper location of the exchange area boundary of the Southern California Telephone Company. This investigation showed that the territory involved in the above-entitled proceeding should be divided as it now exists, in which a portion of this territory is in the Los Angeles exchange area of the Southern California Telephone Company, and a portion in the Glendale exchange area of The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company. This Commission, in its Decision No. 9864 (20 C. R. C. 981), in Application No. 6285,* dated December 14, 1921, ordered the establishment of the boundary of the Los Angeles exchange area, which boundary is the same as exists at present. * See Commission Leaflet No. 123, p. 549. |