Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-12-07
RULE STREET RAIL WAYS
STATE RATE COMMISSION SAYS T
HIS POWER.
First Report Shows New Law Has Stood
Test-Better Appliances for Safe
ty of Employees.

MADISON. Wis, Dec. 81 Special.
The state railway rate commission has
the power to regulate street railways
when their lines extend outside of the
city. This is the construction placed on
the law by the commission which has
just rendered its first report to the gov
ernor This construction is vital to the
city of Milwaukee as the council Of that
city has petitioned the commission to
remedy alleged evils in the Milwaukee
system and reduce rates. The report
says:
street railways should be either increased or
diminished. Under the construction placed
upon the law by the attorney general and
by the commission it confers jurisdiction
upon the commission to regulate any street
railway company whose lines pass beyond
the limits of the city in which it is operat-
ing. This right of regulation extends to the
urban business of the company as we'll as
to the business of the company outside OF
the limits of the city. AS result the COM
mission appears to have right to regulate
the entire business of Il street railway COM
pany where any of its lines extend beyond
the city limits, but it has no right to regu-
late the business of street railway com
pany whose lines are entirely within the
limits of the city in which it is operating.
1t would appear to the commission that it
should either have power to regulate the
urban business of all street railway compa-
MES operating iii the state or that such
power should not extend to any of them.
Dealing with general work Of the
commission the report says:
One years operation under the law has
demonstra ted the excellent WORK which was
done in it's preparation and enactment. Not
a single serious weakness has been discov-
cred.
The total number of formal complaints
filed with the commission to December /,
1906. is ninety-two. Of this number sixty
two were disposed of without a ruling of
the commission, in informal conference or
by means of correspondence.
AS shown by the report, during the period
from June 10. 1905, to June 30, 1906. the
total number of passengers killed in Wis
consn in train accidents was five and the
total number of injured was 167: the total
number killed on platforms was one and the
total number injured on platforms was
killed was thirty-five and the total number
injured was S13; the total number of shop
men killed was one and the total number OF
shopmen injured was forty-eight the total
number of stationmen killed was one and
the total number of Stationmen injured was
forty-tiye; the total number of other en-
ployes killed was sixteen and the total mum
Der injured was 4O3; the total number of
treSpaSSerS killed on trains was thrty-four
and the total number injured was seventy:
the total number of trespassers killed on
right of way was eighty three and the total
number injured was fortysix; the total
number of persons neither trespassnrs nor
employees who were killed eight and the
total number injured was seYenty-seyen:
the total number killed on crossing was
twenty-seyen and the total number injured
on crossings was ninety; the total number
of all classes of persons killed was 211 and
the total number injured was 1888
The commission has instructed its engi-
neer to enter into correspondence with en-.
gineerfs throughout the country with view
of ascertaining the best appliances for the
protection of railway employees and the
public. The result of his Investigations win
be embodied in q report which will be the
basis of future action by the commiss. on.
We would recommend that the law he SO
amended as to provide that all actions
brought against the commission to set aside
it's orders should be brought in Dane couIl-
ty. There is some doubt about the pro
vinions of chapter 366. laws of 1905. cx-
tending to suits brought against the com
mission