Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1905-01-16

thorough investigation upon your part
will lead to the conviction that the
commission should be invested with
power to enforce an adequate ana
efficient service, always taking into
consideration the circumstances and
conditions with respect to the town,
city, or section concerned. 1t is as
necessary that the efficiency OF the
service should be under the control of
the state, as it is that there should be
government regulation Of transporta-
ton in any respect. The character OF
the service is quite as important to
the business interests and to the peo>
pie of every community as is the cost
Of the service.
With respect to the regulation OF
rate, have no doubt that you will
wisely determine to clothe the COM
mission with full power to establish q
rate. A sufficient objection to limit
ing the power of the commission to
fixing maximum rates is that the
railway company can still make TN
just discrimination between shippers
and communities, by making them
special rates below the maximum rate.
The exercise of the power to make
an absolute rate will furthermore in
sure stability in rates, which is an
important factor in the conduct OF
every business. The orders of the
commission that establishes a rate
should at once carry the rate into
effect, to continue until such a time
as the commission shall otherwise
order, or the courts of appeal other
wise determine, if an appeal should be
taken.
While it should be made the duty
of the commission to investigate all
complaints, | am strongly of the
opinion that their action should not
be made to depend upon the filing OF
such complaint. With the best pro-
lection which the commission can
afford to shippers, when such COM
mission is fully clothed with authority
to regulate the transportation service,
it would be long before shipper
would feel warranted in subiectins
himself to the annoyances that he
might suffer, because of his action in
company with which he is obliged to
transact business.
But this is not all. The great body
of the people of Wisconsin who bear
in the aggregate the principal burden
of the freight rates could not lawfully
| appear before the commission to make
complaint. Neither could they state
their complaint or allege the measure
of wrong imposed upon them by the
transportation companies. They have
no dealing directly with the railroads,
and do not pay freights to the railway
companies at all. They are. never
theless, the ones who finally pay the
largest proportion of all the trans
portation charges which go to swell
the enormous revenues of the railway
companies in Wisconsin.
The commission should have author.
ity to require the railway companies,
upon reasonable notice, to furnish all
the cars requisite to Accommodate ship
pers. Many people engaged in various
lines OF business in Wisconsin ex.
perience great hardship because they
have no appeal except to the rail-
roads, whose convenience they have
to await in the matter of supplying
cars. This is often serious loss to
the shipper, particularly upon certain
/ perishable classes of shipments, ana
in all cases it embarrasses the ship.
per's business with respect to markets
and prices.
Publicity should extend to all mat
tiers which may affect the public in
any way and the railway companies
should be required 10 file with the
commission copies of all contracts
affecting public interests, made by
railroads with each other, with ship
pers and passengers, with car AMI
equipment companies, with express
and other transportation companies.
with land companies, and with every
company doing business or shipping
goods into or from this state, or in
any way affecting said shipments.
The commission should likewise b0
authorized to require list of all re-
duced passenger rates, passes, or
mileage books. The commission
should be empowered to require the
usual traffic statistics, and full and
accurate statistics of wages and or
hours of continuous service of EN-.
ployees, including those of sleeping
car and express companies, telegraph
operators, and all other persons en-
ployed by the railway companies, or
by companies engaged in transporta-
ton in, connection Herewith.
Science in Making Rates.
A plausible objection which is al
ways urged by the railroads against
any interference with their making
rates, is that rate-making involves a.
technical. knowledge only possessed
by those engaged in the transporta-
ton business. | am free to admit that
rate-making requires technical ana
expert knowledge. 1t must be baseG
6NG. 4 Il IL