WEST VIRGINIA. Public Service Commission. In re APPLICATION OF THE BARBOURSVILLE TELEPHONE COMPANY FOR AUTHORITY TO CHANGE RATES, TOLLS AND CHARGES. Case No. 1493. Decided February 20, 1924. Increase in Rates Authorized - Total Minimum Amount to be Charged on Farmers' Line Reduced to Amount Equal to That Paid by Nine Subscribers. ORDER. This case came on this day to be finally heard upon the application of Barboursville Telephone Company, filed December 11, 1923, in which it applies for authority to put into effect the following rates: Business telephones, per month.. Residence telephones, per month.. Party line telephone, per month.... Farmer line rate, per month, for each subscriber on the line.. $3 00 2 25 1 75 50 3 50 upon the report of E. V. Williamson, assistant statistician of the Commission, upon all the evidence in the case, and upon argument of counsel. Upon consideration of all which, it appears to the Com mission that there is no opposition whatever to the increase in the telephone rates within the city of Barboursville, but, on the contrary, the increases requested are urged by the Chamber of Commerce of said city; that under the present rates the applicant is not receiving a sufficient income to enable it to expend the proper amount for operating expenses, to render efficient service, to take care of depreciation, and allow it a proper return upon the amount invested in this plant, and that the rates applied for will give to the [W. Va. applicant a sufficient income to pay the operating expenses necessary for more efficient service, take care of depreciation, and give a reasonable return upon the investment, and that the rates in themselves are not unreasonable, and that the service to be rendered is worth the amount charged therefor. It is, therefore, ordered, That the applicant is hereby authorized to put into effect the following schedule of rates: Business telephones, per month.... Residence telephones, per month... Farmer line rate, per month, for each subscriber on the line.. $3.00 225 175 50 350 It further appearing to the Commission that on the Inez Farmers' Line running into the office of the Barboursville Telephone Company, there are only 9 subscribers and that these subscribers, in order to receive service, are paying on a minimum for 10 subscribers, the Commission is of the opinion that 9 subscribers upon the one line is sufficient, and the total minimum amount charged to subscribers on the farmers' line for connection with the Barboursville Telephone Company's central office should not exceed the amount to be paid by 9 subscribers at the rate hereinbefore provided. It is further ordered, That said rates, tolls and charges herein authorized and allowed shall be effective from and after the twenty-ninth day of February, 1924, and that the applicant shall forthwith file proper tariffs in the office of the secretary of this Commission, in accordance with the foregoing schedule. February 20, 1924. WISCONSIN. Railroad Commission. In re INVESTIGATION ON MOTION OF THE COMMISSION OF THE RATES, RULES AND PRACTICES OF THE LYNDON TELEPHONE EXCHANGE OF THE FARMERS INTER COUNTY MUTUAL TELEPHONE COMPANY. U-2960. Decided February 25, 1924. Where Subscriber's Line is Connected to Two Exchanges and Calls are tion to Exchange Ordered Discontinued Switching Rates Held to Entitle Sub- OPINION AND DECISION. This case was instituted by the Commission upon the informal complaint of J. G. Wilbur, owner of the Delton Telephone Exchange, who alleges that the switching rate of $8.00 per year at the Lyndon exchange is excessive and unreasonable insofar as its application to his lines is concerned. The Lyndon exchange furnishes exchange service to subscribers in and about the village of Lyndon, Juneau County. The telephones served belong to three companies -the Farmers Inter County Mutual Telephone Company, the Mauston Electric Service Company and the Delton Telephone Exchange. The subscribers of the Delton exchange are also directly connected to the central office at Delton. The subscribers of the other two companies have no other direct connection. The subscribers of the Mauston Electric Service Company are, for the most part, within the village and are served from one- and two-party lines. Those of the Farmers Inter County Mutual Telephone Company are connected to two rural lines. The Delton exchange at the present time has but one rural line connected at Lyndon. Formerly there were two, but one has not been reconnected since its destruction by the sleet storm of February, 1922. Service is obtained by this line through a knife switch connection with the line connected. As nearly as we can determine, there are 44 subscribers connected to the Lyndon exchange, and the ownership follows: Delton exchange Inter County company. 13 20 11 44 [Wis. TOTAL Wilbur's complaint involves not only the amount of the switching fee, but also the fact that his subscribers are unable to communicate with the 11 subscribers of the Mauston company except on the payment of a 10-cent charge. Hearing in the matter was held at Madison, Wisconsin, December 27, 1923, when the following appearances were entered: J. G. Wilbur, for the Delton Telephone Exchange; C. F. Heberline and D. T. O'Neill for the Farmers Inter County Mutual Telephone Company; Jerry Carroll for the Mauston Electric Service Company. It appears that the switching rate when the Lyndon exchange was established was $2.00 per year. This charge, we are informed, was paid by the Delton exchange for each subscriber on the line between Delton and Lyndon, up to the time its lines were destroyed by the sleet storm of February, 1922. The Delton-Lyndon line was not rebuilt until some time late in 1922, or early in 1923. In the meantime, the Farmers Inter County Mutual Telephone Company had made application for and received authorization* to establish an * See Commission Leaflet No. 129, p. 675. C. L. 148] $8.00 switching rate. This rate has been charged the Delton exchange since the date of the reconnection at Lyndon, and, while the first quarter's rent was paid by Wilbur, subsequent bills have been protested and remained unpaid. Because of the failure to pay these bills, service at Lyndon has been discontinued for the Delton line. As already mentioned, the Delton line was disconnected and out of service insofar as the Lyndon exchange was concerned when the Commission authorized the Inter County company to make a switching rate of $8.00. The lines to which the applicant proposed to apply the rate of $8.00 were connected to its Kilbourn exchange and were receiving their entire central office service from this exchange. It appears to us that the situation on the Delton-Lyndon line is quite different from that where the entire central office service is obtained from the switching exchange. The Delton-Lyndon line is connected to two exchanges-Delton and Lyndon. The testimony shows that the calls of the subscribers on this line are divided between the two exchanges, and for that reason there are fewer calls per subscriber on this line at the Lyndon exchange than from the other companies' subscribers who receive all of their central office service from this exchange. Also, the calling rate is less for these subscribers than for other switched subscribers of the Inter County company who are connected directly to the Kilbourn exchange. We believe it reasonable to assume that the total number of calls originating on the Delton-Lyndon line would be about equally divided between the two exchanges, and, as a result, an equal amount of time would be consumed by the operators at each exchange in completing the calls. The minimum wage ruling provides that the operators' wages in small exchanges may be based on 50 cents per telephone, per month, and that where a subscriber's line is connected to two exchanges the charge (50 cents per telephone) shall be divided equally between the two exchanges. Estimating and dividing the operators' salaries on this |