Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1906-05-17
The Way in Now Jersey.

Nt0At
The investigator Of public affairs meets.
in Newark, what would be. IL the thing
were not common to- our cities. a angular
situation. If he looks INTO local politics he
soon learns that the regular republican
organization invariably advocates those
measures which the Public Service Corpor-
alton of New Jersey Is advocating, and
opposes those which Public Service" Is
opposing.
Not naturally the investigator is let to
wonder II the political business OF Newark
and Essex county is anything more than
one of the man. activities of Public Ser
vice"
fIe is next informed that the leading
banks are controlled by this group. Bust
ness men. even city officials. speak fur
lively and In whispers of the despotic
power OF those prominent in Public
Service" I'm In their power" they say:
IF l should come out openly against them
they would cali my loans and ruin me-"
In society aud club life one hears again
of the s:btle influence OF this powerful
organization. There arc stories of men
biack-balled at the Essex County club be-
cause they have opposed Public Service.
All That Is rich and respectable and out
wardly good in Newark seems to draw it's
substance from the massive stone building
at Broad and Bank streets.
Early in 1903 the Public Service Copper
alton OF New Jersey was Launched. The
object of the new holding company was to
acquire all the street car, gas, and electric
light companies of the state; and in the
pursuit of this object, with the exception
OF certain companies in Elizabeth and
Trenton. it has been successful. The
offices of tho three conapanies-the Pru-
dental. the Fidelity Trust Company. and
the Public Service. which are now in
eNtricably woven tosether-are all in the
Prudential building. The Union National
Dahk. across Broad street, is also owned
by these interests.
The Prudential sharcs the control of the
Puollc Service Corporation with the
Equitable Life society, of New York. and
the United Gas Improvement company. of
philadelphia the latter. perhaps. better
known as tn. philadelphia Gas ring"
which has lately received the attentions
of Mayor Weaver and the decent citizens
of that city.
Thus we sc- that three grea; financial
Institutions i'll New York, Pnilade,phla ard
Newark come together in the ,utter city
for the control. through the Public Service
corporation. OF practically all the public
utilities of that city and state.
IL should be clear 10 the reader that the
Public Service Corporation exists solely
ior the !rpose of extracting as much
money as possible from the pepole of
Newark and of Now Jersey. In this con-
ncction, the use of the name. Public Ser
vice. becomes humorous. The service"
given IN all departments is %singularly
wretched. These local ordinances, which
were devised to compel the corporation to
run modern. we'll heated cars on reason
ably snort Roadway and to put its wires
underground, are held IN dcrision by the
corporation. The point of the business is
that Public Service is not interested in
dolna these things we'll. What it is inter-
esico IN Is Simply getting the maximum of
mercy with the minimum of effort. There
still exists. in the minds of IL good many
oil us. q vague notion that these public
service corporations are concerned in
some unexplained way over the develop
ment ana welfare OF our communities.
They are not, excepting as such deve.op-
ment means tho possibility Of more
money.