The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-08-12


able charge d that ter Of great Importance
Athe t1,Ahufadtorles est bllshed on that
lire; Hers Ia SIaichn,ond the virginia Pas
scngerS & Power Company was made to
give transfers to persons living on tho
Seven Pines route. III a 4i W. II IL si5
Relief has heei, afforded 70 citiaet,s and
merchants III all 1 parts 81 the state N
These judicial proc dihss III various mat
tiers relating u the perfor,nanee ot duties
\ BY public service companies II may be
safely estimated that Under orders Of the
commission many new tations have been
built ~ the railroads, and probably over oyer
two hundred stations have beer, repaired
\ or rebuilt ana improved. Il "a y
8s One Of ths most arduous duties per-
formed ~ the commission ls IN answer g s
Ing letters propoundlns general inquiries,
5necessitating an opinion upon the proper
constitution OF some portion OF our oor-
poration e revenue statutory laws. The
commission has probably In this way, BY
letters, given over one thousand opinions,
requiring study. care and thought.
In the matter Of freight rates the COM
mission has performed task never IN un-
dcrtaken In this country before BY such
d body. Tho commission says In its re-.
!, hort for 1904 that IN the fall OF that year
1t entered upor, m investigation and
study Of tho entire rate situation Il, !. Viz If
gir,Ia, and reached the conclusion that,
owing to the exceedingly confused and
conflicting state Of the rates on freight
In Virginia, II felt obliged to work l' up
and formulate an entire new system Of
rates, which should be uniformly used
by all the roads In the State This was Q
work which, doubtless, the railroad ex ..
perts thought could not be accomp lished,
II has been done. The enqeavor Of tho
commission to put this Id form system
Of rates into effect brought about the
present hearing now going on before the the
commission. which IL Of great magnitude
ana imports M; 3s s5
"a In the matter Of prescribing rates, the
commission - Violently proceeding wisely wisely
and cautiously, and seems to DO carrying
out course marked out by It as q re- re-
suit Of ita investig ntion ana study z Of
these questions in 1904, as stated In Its
report for that year. and 81 embraces
freight rates, passenger ,,S!es, and also
rates 81 for express and telegraph c COM.
sprcnn,nle iS All OF these subjects are now
pending before the commission for hear
ing and, 1t is believed that within the
next few months It will have prescribed,
in So far: as the State has Alright, 50 to
do, freight rates, passenger ra ties, ex--
press rates and telegraph rates. Il can
be safely asserted that no commission
Of any State In this country ever had as
much to do as the Virginia commits s 1tc'1
no has any commission ever accom-
.plshed as much within g period OF three lllss
years. II HI N .i55 IF & ss;E
Il That Is the record Y What do 4 the people
think OF I'll? Is the Corpora 3on Commis-
sion worth while q II SO, let us stand by
it and aid 1t, and not. discourage and
discredit it by captious criticism. Let
us weigh It's good works against it's
errors OF Judgment, II such there be, and
strike just balance:asSs This slgsnot only
fair, but good public policy. '5s.st