Chap. 730.—An ACT to ratify and confirm the charter of the citizens’ tele-
phone and telegraph company, and to give it additional powers.

Approved March 3, 1900.

Whereas the corporation court of the city of Newport News, Virginia,
did, on the sixtcenth day of March, in the year eighteen hundred and
ninety-seven, grant a charter of incorporation to the citizens telephone
and telegraph company, which was duly lodged and recorded in the
secretary of the commonwealth’s office, and which is in the following
words and figures—to wit:

To the Honorable T. J. Barham, judge of the corporation court of the
city of Newport News, Virginia:

The undersigned, together with H. E. Parker, of Newport News,
Virginia; Charles P. Platt, of Chicago, Illinois; M. B. Crowell, of Nor-
folk, Virginia; and Charles E. Fink, of Westminster, Maryland, desiring
to be incorporated as a joint stock company, under section one thousand
one hundred and forty-five of the code of Virginia, do hereby make,
sign, and acknowledge the following certificate in writing:

First. The name of the company shall be the citizens telephone and
telegraph company, of Newport News, Virginia.

second. The purposes for which this company is organized are to
build, equip, and operate telephone and telegraph plants, and to do s
general telephone and telegraph business.

Third. The capital stock of the said company shall not be less than
ten thousand ($10,000.00) dollars, nor more than fifty thousand ($50,-
000.00) dollars, to be divided into shares of the par value of twenty-
five ($25.00) dollars.

Fourth. The amount of real estate to be held by the company shall
not exceed one hundred acres of land at any one time.

Fifth. The principal office of the company shall be located at New-
port News, Virginia. |

Sixth. The chief business to be transacted is building and operating
telephone and telegraph plants, including their wires, poles, telephones
conduits, and all such electric and other apparatus incident to the proper
conduction of each.

Seventh. The names and residences of the officers, who shall manage
the affairs of the company for the first year, are as follows: M. B. Crowell.
Norfolk, Virginia, president; Charles E. Fink, Westminster, Maryland
vice-president; W. 8. Boyenton, Newport News, Virginia, secretary; W
H. Landon, Newport News, Virginia, treasurer; the said M. B. Crowell
of Norfolk, Virginia; Charles E. Fink, of Westminster, Marvland: W
S. Boyenton, of Newport News, Virginia; W. H. Landon, of Newport
News, Virginia; and L. P. Stearnes, of Newport News, Virginia, directors

L. P. STEARNEs,
Rosert P. Orr,

W. Scott Boyenton,
W. H. Lannoy,

J. M. Curtis.

March fifteenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven.

State of Virginia,
City of Newport News, to wit:

I, W. M. Taylor, a notary public in and for the city aforesaid, in the
state of Virginia, do hereby certify that W. S. Boyenton, W. H. Landon
Robert P. Orr. L. P. Stearnes, and J. M. Curtis. whose names are signec
to the writing above, bearing date March fifteenth, eighteen hundred anc
ninety-seven, have acknowledged the same before me in my city and
state aforesaid.
Given under my hand this sixteenth day of March, eighteen hundred
and ninety-seven.
W. M. Tay tor,

Notary public.

In the corporation court of the city of Newport News, Virginia:

It appearing to the court that W. 8S. Boyenton, lL. P. Stearnes, W.
H. Landon, Robert P. Orr, and J. M. Curtis, have signed and acknowl-
edged a certificate in writing, having for their object the formation
of a joint stock company under the provisions of section one thousand
one hundred and forty-five of the code of Virginia, and acts amendatory
thereof, for the purposes set forth in said certificate, which certificate
is made a part of the record of this order, and it appearing to the court
that the proper fee has been paid the clerk of this court, the court doth
adjudge, order, and decree that the said L. P. Stearnes, W. 8S. Boyenton,
H. E. Parker, W. H. Landon, M. B. Crowell, Charles E. Fink, Charles
P. Platt, Robert P. Orr, and J. M. Curtis, the said persons named in
said petition, their associates, successors, and assigns be, and are hereby,
made and created a body politic and corporate, by the name of the
citizens telephone and telegraph company, for the purpose of building
and operating telephone and telegraph plants, including wires, poles,
telephones, conduits, and all electrical and other apparatus incident to
the preper conduct of either the telephone or telegraph business, with
all the powers and privileges conferred, and subject to all the provisions
and restrictions imposed by the laws of Virginia as may be applicable
to corporations of this character; but this cHarter is granted upon the
express condition that the said corporation shall pay, in current money
of the United States, all taxes and other demands against it, which
may become due to the commonwealth of Virginia, and to the city of
Newport News, Virginia, and it is ordered that the same be recorded.

Virginia: In the corporation court for the city of Newport News, the
sixteenth day of March, anno domini, eighteen hundred and ninety-
seven:

This day came H. HE. Parker, Charles P. Platt, M. B. Crowell, and
Charles E. Fink, by their attorney, and presented to the court a petition
made, signed, and acknowledged in the manner prescribed by law,
praying that they may be incorporated as a Joint stock company, under
the name of the citizens telephone and telegraph company, of Newport
News, with its principal office at Newport News, Virginia; and it appear-
ing to the court that the fee therein has been paid to the clerk of this
court, said charter is hereby granted in accordance with the said petition
for the purposes therein mentioned; and it is ordered that the said petition
be filed, and that the said charter be recorded, and that a copy thereof be
certified as the law may require.

A copy—Teste:
D. G. Smirn, Clerk.

Whereas it is desired to have the said charter ratified and confirmed
by the general assembly of Virginia, and to obtain for the said com-
pany additional powers; therefore,

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the
said charter of the said citizens telephone and telegraph company be,
and the same is hereby, ratified and confirmed.

_ 2. The said company is hereby expressly authorized and empowered to
have, acquire, and enjoy all the rights and privileges of a corporation
under the general laws of Virginia, including all such rights as by said
laws are given to telephone and telegraph companies and any works of
internal improvement, and be subject also to all the regulations and
restrictions imposed by the laws of the state in relation to corpora-
tions.

3. ‘The said company shall have power to erect, construct, and main-
tain poles, wires, conduits, and telephone and telegraph appliances for
its own use, for sale, lease, hire, or for any other purpose along the public
roads of the counties in the state of Virginia, by and with the consent
of the board of supervisors of each county through which it passes, and
the streets, lanes, and alleys of the city of Newport News, Virginia, and
other cities and towns of the commonwealth of Virginia, or elsewhere,
subject to the approval of the city councils of the said cities and towns,
respectively, and subject to the fee simple rights of the adjacent land
owners in said counties.

4. Said company shall have power to acquire by purchase, lease, or
condemnation, in accordance with the laws of the state of Virginia on
that subject, or otherwise, all real estate, easements, or franchises neces-
sary for the convenient erection and maintenance of its lines, poles,
conduits, telephone and telegraph appliances, oflices, and exchanges and
for the general conduct of its business.

5. Said company may acquire, by purchase or lease, any of the prop-
erty or rights of any other telephone or telegraph company, and may
make any contract with any other company or individual consistent with
the laws of this state.

6. The said company hereby incorporated may acquire by lease, pur-
chase, subscription to, or purchase of the capital stock, or otherwise, the
works, lines, poles, conduits, telephone and telegraph appliances, fran-
chises, rights, privileges, and immunitics of any other company, chartered
under the laws of this state by the legislature or otherwise, or any other
state or territory of the United States or elsewhere, and may own, buy,
sell, lease, use, operate, maintain, and extend the same; and power is
hereby given any other corporation, whether chartered under the laws
of this state or otherwise, to transfer, sell, or lease, or by such other
contract as may be agreed upon, all of their works, property, franchises,
rights, privileges, immunities, including the right to be a corporation,
to the company hereby incorporated, or to unite and consolidate with it
upon such terms as may be agreed upon hetween them.

7. Said company may lease, encumber by trust deeds, or otherwise, and
may dispose of any or all of its properties, privileges, and franchises
hereby granted, or which may have been heretofore granted or conferred
upon it, or which may hereafter be granted or conferred upon if, inelud-
ing its right to be a corporation, to any individual, number of individuals,
or corporation or corporations, whether chartered by the legislature,
the courts of this state, or otherwise, and may issue bonds to be secured
by liens upon its entire property, or any part thereof, including its real
estate, franchises, rights, and privileges.
8. The capital stock of the said company shall not exceed one hundred
thousand dollars: provided, however, that the shareholders at any regular
meeting, or at a meeting called for that purpose, by a vote of the owners
and representatives of two-thirds of the then capital stock, may increase
the same from time to time, or may authorize the board of directors to
increase the same: provided, however, that whenever the said capital
stock of the said company shall be increased, the said company shall pay
to the state of Virginia such additional sum as to make the amount of
tax paid by this company on its charter equal to the amount of tax which
would have been required had the company originally been chartered
with a capital stock of the maximum amount of its capital.

9. All taxes and levies assessed against said company shall be paid in
current money and not in coupons of the bonds of the state of Virginia.

10. All acts and parts of acts inconsistent with this act are hereby
repealed.

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