the County without a franchise from the County Council. It was stated that the gas companies have had a long history, during which several mergers have taken place, and that in order to present all of the relevant facts it would be necessary to use the rules for discovery. However, on April 15, 1953, the Court, believing that the bill fully presented all questions that might be raised as to the lawfulness and reasonableness of the Commission's order, refused to grant leave to amend and dismissed the bill. From the order sustaining the demurrers and the order dismissing the bill, the County appealed to this Court.
Decisions of the Public Service Commission are prima facie correct. On any appeal from an order of the Commission, the burden of proofinterests with the public good in the operation of public utilities, it is not the province of the Commission to insist that the public shall be benefited as a condition to a change of ownership, but its duty is to see that no such change shall be made as would work to the public detriment.
The County contended (1) that the Washington Gas Light Company, the foreign corporation, has no franchise to operate in the County; (2) that the Commission does not have the legal right to authorize the subsidiary corporations to transfer their assets to the parent company without the consent of the County Council; and (3) that under the public local law, originally enacted by the Maryland Legislature in 1910, Laws 1910, ch. 484, and amended in