CHaP. 526.—An ACT to fncorporate the Richmond, Petersburg and Southside tele-
phone and telegraph company.

Approved February 28, 1898.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That W. B.
McIlwaine, A. Rosenstock, T. F. Heath, John C. Robertson, W. R.
Johnston and A. B. Guigon, and such other persons as they may asso-
ciate with them, and their successors, be, and they hereby are, incorpo-
rated and created a body corporate, under the name of the Richmond,
Petersburg and Southside telephone and telegraph company, for the
purpose of constructing, equipping, maintaining and operating a line
or lines of telephones or telegraph, with the neccessary and conve-
nient exchanges and appliances, in the county of Chesterfield, and in
other counties, cities and towns in the state of Virginia, and to connect
the cities of Richmond and Petersburg, including any or all interme-
diate points, postoffices or villages, and other cities and towns in the
state of Virginia; and as such corporation the said company shall have
all general powers and be subject to all general restrictions conferred
and imposed by the laws of Virginia now or hereafter in force as to cor-
porations and chartered companies, and including all rights and privi-
leges given by the said laws of Virginia to telephone and telegraph
companies.

2. The said company shall have power to acquire by purchase, lease,
condemnation or otherwise in accordance with the general laws of the
state of Virginia on that subject, all real estate or easements necessary
for the convenient erection and maintenance of its lines, offices and ex-
changes, and for the general conduct of its business, the real estate to
he so held by the said company, however, not to exceed ten acres in
each county in the state of Virginia in or through which it operates.
But the said company shall not have the power of condemnation as to
any easements or real estate in any incorporated city or town in the said
state.

3. The capital stock of the said company shall be not less than three
thousand dollars, nor more than twenty-five thousand dollars, divided
into shares of one hundred dollars each. It shall not be necessary to
give any notice of the opening of subscriptions to said stock, but the
same may be subscribed in such manner and at such times as a majority
of said corporators may determine.

4. When the minimum amount of capital stock shall have been sub-
scribed, the subscribers may meet upon such notice as the said corpora-
tors, or a majority of them shall determine and elect a president and
board of directors and such other officers as they may deem best. At
such meeting each subscriber may, in person or by proxy, cast one vote
for each share of stock subscribed for by him. The board of directors
may consist of any number that the subscribers or stockholders may
from time to time determine. After such election the said company
shall be deemed thereupon duly organized, and the board may proceed
to adopt by-laws for the conduct of the company and take such further
action as the interest of the company may in their judgment require.
General or annual meetings of the stockholders may be held on such
notice as may from time to time be prescribed by the board of directors,
such notice to be published for the length of time fixed by said board in
one or more newspapers published in the cities of Richmond or Peters-
burg.

5. This company is incorporated for the conduct of the telephone and
telegraph business, and to that end authority is hereby granted to it to
erect all poles, wires, cables, conduits and lines necessary and proper for
the conduct of such a business, and to establish all offices and exchanges
necessary and proper for the conduct of such a business.

6. The said company may acquire, by purchase or lease, any of the
property or rights of any other telephone company, and may make any
contract with any other such company consistent with the laws of the
state.

7. The said company shall have power to connect or make traffic ar-
rangements for the interchange of business with any other telephone or
telegraph company or companies heretofore or hereafter incorporated,
and may acquire and hold the necessary and convenient patents and
property.

8. The said company shall have power to borrow money for its pur-
poses and to issue its notes and bonds therefor and to secure the same by
mortgage or deed of trust upon its property, works and franchises or
otherwise.

This act is subject to the proviso that work hereunder shall be com-
menced within one year, and the said company be in operation within
two years from and after the passage of this act, and all taxes or de-
mands due or to become due to the state of Virginia must be paid in
lawful currency of the United States and not in coupons.

10. This act shall be in force from its passage.