Chap. 671.—An ACT to incorporate the Old Dominion Telegraph Company.
Approved April 2, 1902.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That W. F.
Denny. FE. R. Humphrey, J. J. Byrne, W. F. Roberts, and Thomas
Young. or such of them as may accept the provisions of this act, their
associates, successors, and assigns, be, and they are hereby, incorporated
and made a body politic and corporate under the name and stvle of the
Old Dominion Telegraph Company, and by that name shall be known
in law, and as such are authorized and empowered to survey, locate, con-
struct, equip, and operate a line or lines of telegraph, with the necessary
and convenient exchanges, offices, and applianecs in any city or county of
this State, and may connect the cities and counties and towns of this and
other States by means of such telegraph lines, and may maintain and
operate such agencies, offices, exchanges, and other works as may be neces
sary to successfully carry on their business.

§ 2. The said company shall have perpetual succession and have power
to sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, defend and be defended in
any court, whether in law or equity, and may make and have a common
scal, and alter and renew the same at pleasure, and shall have and possess
and enjoy all the rights, privileges, and powers of a corporation or bods
politic in the law necessary for the purposes of this act. The capital
stock of said company shall not be less than ten thousand dollars nor
more than one hundred thousand dollars, and shall be divided into shares
of par value of one hundred dollars each, and the above named W. F.
Denny, E. R. Humphrey, J. J. Byrne, W. F. Roberts, and ‘Thomas
Young, or any three of the above named incorporators, are hereby created
2 commission, and are hereby authorized to receive subscriptions to the
capital stock of said company, and for this purpose may open subscription
books in such manner and at such time and place and after such notice
as they may deem necessary, and may keep the same open until the min.-
mum amount of the above named capital stock shall have been sub-
scribed. Thereafter, within their discretion, they may call a meeting of
the subscribers and organize the company; ind the board of directors
may receive cash, labor, materials, franchises, bonds, or stocks of their
incorporated company, lands, rights of way, and other property—real
or personal—in payment of any subscription to the capital stock at sucn
valuation as may be agreed upon.

8 3. The said company shall have power to acquire, by purchase, lease.
condemnation, or otherwise, in accordance with the general laws of this
State on that subject, any real estate or easement necessarv for the con-
venient erection or maintenance of its lines, offices, and exchanges, and
for the general conduct of its business. The real estate so held by the
said company, however, is not to exceed one hundred acres in any one
county in the said State of Virginia in or through which it operates. But
the said company shall not have the power to condemn as to any real
estate or easement in any city or town in this State.

§ 4. The company, with the consent of the board of supervisors of the
counties in which it operates, may construct and maintain its lines along
any of the public roads and highways in any county in this State, and
along the streets, alleys, and other public places of any town or eity, with
the consent of the council of such cities and towns, and it may buy, lease.
operate, unite with, or contract with any other telegraph company for
the purpose of enlarging or conducting its business; and it shall be
lawful for said company to receive and transmit messages and money by
telegraph over its own lines or those leased or controlled by it, or with
which the said company may have an operating contract, to any point or
points within or without the United States for any and all purposes
lawful at the place to which said messages or money are transmitted.
and may charge and collect such rates for the transmission of same as
they see fit, and it may subscribe for, acquire, and hold stock and securi-
ties of any other telegraph company or corporation. It may also make
traffic arrangements for the interchange of business with any other tele-
graph company or companies heretofore or hereafter incorporated, and
may acquire and hold all necessary and convenient patents and prop-
erty; and it may erect all poles, wires, conduits, and lines necessary and
proper for the conduct of its business, subject to the requirements afore-
said.

§ 5. The principal office of this company shall be in the city of Roa-
noke, Virginia, or at such other place in the State of Virginia as the
stockholders in gencral mecting may agree upon: provided, notice of such
change is given to the secretary of the Commonwealth within thirty days
from the time when such change i is decided on.

§ 6. The company may acquire, by subscription, purchase, or otherwis,
the stock or bonds of any other incorporated company, and it shall be law-
ful for said company to issue or sell its bonds, from time to time, for such
sums and upon such terms as its board of directors may deem expedient,
and may secure the payment of any bonds by a deed or deeds of trust, or
mortgage or mortgages, upon the whole or any part of its property,
works, rights, privileges, and franchises, including its franchises to be «
corporation ; and any other incorporated company may, by purchase, sub-
scription, or otherwise, obtain, hold, or transfer bonds or stock of said
company. ;

§ 7. The officers of said corporation shall be a president, vice-president,
secretary and treasurer, and board of directors, including the president
and vice-president, who shall be ex-officio membcrs, and such officers as
the board of directors may, from time to time, determine; and the term
of office, modes of election, and duties of said officers shall be prescribed
by the by-laws of said corporation.

§ 8. All acts and parts of acts in conflict with this act are, so far as
they conflict with this act, hereby repealed. Nothing in this charter shail
be so construed as to permit the said company hereby incorporated to
condemn the right of way of a railroad company.

§ 9. All taxes due to the Commonwealth by said company shall be paid
in lawful money of the United States, and not iu coupons.

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