New Castle Electric Co. v. Public Service Commission
New Castle Electric Co. v. Public Service Commission
Opinion of the Court
Opinion by
The Harmony Electric Company was formed December 30, 1913, by a merger of twenty-six companies, one of which was the Shenango Electric Company, incorporated May 6, 1913, for Shenango Township. The consolidated company, after the merger, proceeded to supply customers in this township from a power station in Jackson Township. The New Castle Electric Company had been serving the public in this township and the City of New Castle for twenty years or more. It had a large investment in its plant and filed a complaint protesting against this move of the Harmony Company. It was similar to that filed in the Pennsylvania-Lehigh case just preceding.
The commission found as a fact that the Harmony Company, on the 31st of December, 1913, supplied light, heat and power by means of electricity to the public in the several municipalities named in the charters of the com-
It is urged, however, that when the Public Service Act was passed (July 26th) the Shenango company had not recorded its charter, and when the charter was recorded the provisions of the law were included therein with the
The cases referred to by the appellant do not control.
The order of the commission is affirmed at the cost of the appellant.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- New Castle Electric Company v. Public Service Commission
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published
- Syllabus
- Corporations — Merger—Electric light companies — Powers—Certificate of public convenience — Supplying street railway company— Recording charter for Public Service Commission. Where ap electric light company is created on December 30,1913, under the Merger Act of May 3, 1909, P. L. 408, by the merger of several electric light companies, and one of these companies is chartered on May 6, 1913, to serve light to a particular township, and the consolidated company immediately after its incorporation begins to supply light in the township in question, it is not necessary for the consolidated company to secure a certificate of public convenience permitting it to do business in such township. It is im-> material that its only customer in such township is a street railway company, and it is also immaterial that the company chartered to serve light in the township had not recorded its charter until July 28, 1913, two days after the passage of the Public Service Act, inasmuch as such act did not become operative until January 1, 1914, which was subsequent to the date of the incorporation of the consolidated company.