Pioneer Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. State

1913 OK 495, 134 P. 398, 38 Okla. 554, 1913 Okla. LEXIS 415
Supreme Court of Oklahoma·Decided July 29, 1913·No. 1918·Published·Cited by 11 cases

Opinion

WILLIAMS, J.

The appellee, the Grant County Kural Telephone Company, is a corporation organized and formed to own “a telephone system for the benefit of the public.” It maintains a local telephone exchange in the city of Pond Creek, by virtue of an ordinance passed on March 14, 1907. Said ordinance is in part as follows:

“Section I. That the rights and privileges be and the same is hereby granted to the Grant County Bural Telephone Company, of Pond Creek, Oklahoma Territory, a corporation duly organized under the laws of Oklahoma to use the streets, alleys and public grounds of the city of Pond Creek for the erection and maintenance of poles, guys, leads and causeways for wires for the erection, maintenance and operation of a complete telephone system. \
“See. II. The said Grant County Rural Telephone Company, its successors, or assigns, shall erect its poles, guys, leads and causeway in conformity with the requirements of the city ordinances regulating the erection of telephone poles and leads now in force or of which may hereafter be enacted, and the Grant County Rural Telephone Company, its successors, or assigns shall enjoy equal rights and privileges with any other like corporation holding a similar franchise, provided the Grant County Rural Telephone Company, its successors, or assigns, in erecting its poles and stringing its wires shall carry said wires over and above said wires of any other line or lines already being operated or maintained in said city at a sufficient distance not to interfere with the use and service of the same. * * *”
“Sec. Y. The Grant County Rural Telephone Company, their successors, or assigns, shall admit to its leads a switch board, rural lines, business phones and residence phones from all applicants offering the regular subscription rates, and the subscribers to each class of phones have the same terms and services as any other subscriber of the same class and shall be governed by the same rules and regulations of said company.
*556 “Sec. VI. The Grant County Telephone Company, their successors or assigns, shall obey all ordinances of the city now in force or that may hereafter be enacted for the government, regulation and control of telephone companies and telephone systems, operating in said city. * * *”

Obviously the appellee (the Grant County Rural Telephone Company) in operating under said charter and said franchise is a public .service corporation (section 34, article 9 [section 252, Williams’ Ann. Const. Olda.], of the Constitution of this state), and said company also constitutes a “transmission company,” as. the term is used in article 9 of said Constitution. Also, under the evidence as disclosed by the record, said company is operated for hire, and subject to the jurisdiction of the Corporation Commission. HGine v. Wadlington, 26 Okla. 389, 109 Pac. 301; Twin Valley Telephone Co. v. Mitchell, 27 Okla. 388, 113 Pac. 914, 38 L. R. A. (N. S.) 235, Ann. Cas. 1912C, 582; C., R. I. & P. R. Co. v. State et al., 24 Okla. 370, 103 Pac. 617, 24 L. R. A. (N. S.) 393; St. L. & S. F. R. Co. v. Newell, 25 Okla. 502, 106 Pac. 818.

Section 4, article 9 (section 221, Williams’ Ann. Const. Olda.), of the Constitution of this state provides:

“All telephone and telegraph lines,- operated for hire, shall each respectively, receive and transmit each other’s messages without delay or discrimination, and make physical connections with each other’s lines, under such rules and regulations as shall be prescribed by law, or by any commission created by this Constitution, or any act of the Legislature, for that purpose.”

This language is mandatory, the only limitation being that the rules and regulations, as prescribed by the commission, shall be reasonable and just. The appellee being not only a public service corporation, but also a transmission company, operated for hire, is subject to the jurisdiction of the Corporation Commission, and may be required to- keep its line- and switchboards and facilities in such condition as to afford its patrons, including the connecting long-distance lines, proper service. *557 The obligations are tints reciprocal; it Toeing the duty of the appellant to furnish' the said appellee proper service for a just, and reasonable compensation. The question is not presented as to competitors in the same line of business, to wit, two rival exchanges, furnishing local service to their subscribers. The question here is whether the appellant, being engaged in furnishing long-distance service as a public service corporation, is to be required to furnish long-distance service to the local exchange that is not engaged in a toll line or long-distance business. This question is before this court just as if the Pioneer local exchange in Pond Creek and the Pioneer as a long-distance line were two separate entities. If that were not true, then a long-distance company, by establishing local exchanges at every town in the state, could thus nullify this provision of the Constitution and avoid furnishing service to any local exchange other than one owned by it. Obviously such was never contemplated in the framing of the Conslitution of this state.

Section 32 of the Bill of Eights (section 40, Williams5 Ann. Const. Okla.) of the Constitution of this state provides :

“* * * Monopolies are contrary to the genius of a free government, and shall never be allowed. * * *”

Section 58, article 5 (section 147a, Williams5 Ann. Const. Okla), of the Constitution of this state provides:

“An emergency measure shall include onlv such measures, as are immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, and shaE not include the granting of franchise or license to a corporation or individual, to extend longer than one year. * * *”

Section 47, article 9 (section 264, Williams5 Ann. Const. Okla.), of the Constitution of this state provides:

“The Legislature shall have power to alter, .amend, annul, revoke or repeal any charter of incorporation or franchise now existing and subject to be altered, amended, annulled, revoked, or repealed at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, or any that may be hereafter created, whenever in its opinion *558 it may be injurious to the ■ citizens of this state, in such, manner, however, that no injustice shall be done to the incorporators.”

• Section 7, article 18 (section 339, Williams’ Ann. Const. Okla.), of the Constitution of this state provides: “* * * And no exclusive franchise shall ever be granted.”

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Pioneer Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. State, 1913 OK 495, 134 P. 398, 38 Okla. 554, 1913 Okla. LEXIS 415 (Okla. 1913).

1913 OK 495 (Pioneer Telephone & Telegraph Co. v. State) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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