New Hope Borough v. Western Union Telegraph Co.
New Hope Borough v. Western Union Telegraph Co.
Opinion of the Court
It has been decided, first, that the adoption by a city of an ordinance imposing a reasonable annual license fee for each pole and each mile of suspended wire erected and maintained by telegraph, telephone and electric light companies within city limits is a valid exercise of police power; second, that boroughs have equal powers with cities in that regard; third, that such ordinance is not, as to telegraph companies engaged in the business of transmitting messages between the several states of the Union, in violation of the commerce clause of the federal constitution; fourth, that in an action to recover the license fee for a particular year, the same being payable at the beginning of the year, the fact that the borough or city did not expend money for inspection, supervision, or police surveillance of the poles and wires in that year is not a defense; fifth, that the courts will not declare such ordinance void because of the alleged unreasonableness of the fee charged, unless the unreasonableness be so clearly apparent as to demonstrate an abuse of discretion on the part of the municipal authorities : Western Union Tel. Co. v. Philadelphia, 22 W. N. C. 39; s. c. 11 Cent. Repr. 192; Allentown v. Western Union Tel. Co., 148 Pa. 117; Chester v. Phila., Reading & Pottsville Tel. Co., 148 Pa. 120; Chester v. Western Union Tel. Co., 154 Pa. 466 ; Philadelphia v. Am. Union Tel. Co., 167 Pa. 406; Ridley Park v. Citizens’ Electric Light & Power Co., 9 Pa. Superior Ct. 615; Lansdowne v. Citizens’ Electric Light & Power Co., 9 Pa. Superior Ct. 620; North Braddock v. Central District & Printing Tel. Co., 11 Pa. Superior Ct. 24; Kittanning Electric Light Co. v. Kittanning, 11 Pa. Superior Ct. 31. See also McKeesport v. McKeesport, etc., Pass. Ry., Co., 2 Pa. Superior Ct. 242; North Braddock v. Second Ave. Traction Co., 8 Pa. Superior Ct. 233; Lansdowne v. Delaware County, etc., Electric Ry. Co., 9 Pa. Superior Ct. 621; Taylor Boro. v. Central Penna. Telephone, etc., Co., 8 Pa. Dist. Repr. 92.
In many of the foregoing cases the license fee was the same as that imposed by the ordinance under consideration. In none
Judgment affirmed.
Reference
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- New Hope Borough v. Western Union Telegraph Company
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- Syllabus
- Boroughs — License tax on telegraph companies — Police power. The adoption by a borough of an ordinance imposing a reasonable annual fee for each pole and each mile of suspended wire erected and maintained by telegraph, telephone and electric light companies within the borough limits is a valid exercise of police power. Gonslilulional law — Interstate commerce clause — License tax on telegraph companies. An ordinance of a borough imposing a reasonable annual license fee for each pole aud each mile of wire erected and maintained by a telegraph company, is not, as to telegraph companies engaged in the business of transmitting messages between the several states of the Union, a violation of the commerce clause of the federal constitution. Boroughs — License fees on poles and wires of telegraph company. In an action by a borough against a telegraph company to recover a license fee on poles and wires for a particular year, the same being payable at the beginning of the year, the fact that the borough did not expend money for inspection, supervision or police surveillance of the poles and wires in that year is not a defense. The courts will not declare such ordinance void because of the alleged unreasonableness of the fee charged, unless the unreasonableness be so clearly apparent as to demonstrate an abuse of discretion on the part of the municipal authorities. A borough ordinance imposing a license’ fee of $1.00 per year for each telegraph pole and $2.50 per year for every mile of telegraph and telephone wire in the borough will be sustained, although the evidence shows that the telegraph company maintained no office in the borough, and that the wires were used by the company wholly for the transmission of messages between different states and between this country and foreign countries. Boroughs■ — License fees — Telegraph companies— Question for court. In an action to recover a license fee imposed upon telegraph companies by a borough, where the facts are not in dispute, the question of the reasonableness of the license fee is for the court, and if the court submits the question of the reasonableness of the fee to the jury, it is an error of which the telegraph company cannot complain.