Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-12-12

nshed by the last legislature has
been kept busy ever since its organ
ization, having to deeI witb the
most important matters affecting the
relations of the people of the state
with the great common carrier cor
porations.
Even before the commission: was
organized, July l, 1905, there were
several complaints waiting, and in the
4, months covered by the report
there were filed 649 complaints, an
average of more than 50 each month.
OF these. go were formal complaints.
The other 557 are designated as in
formal complaints, that is, complaints
which have not gone as far as to be-
come formal issues. A goodly mum
Der of the informal complaints are
adjusted before they develop into
Hereby contested issues, and a num-
her of those now before the commits
sion are not yet finally settled.
The commission has reached many
decisions in the year and half it has
been organized, and the companies
have been gratifyingly ready to com
-plv with the determinations reached
by the commission, only one case of
appeal being on record, that concern
ing an order to stop trains at Dwight,
which is now in litigation in the cir
cult court for Dane county.
Methods of Procedure.
Two methods OF dealing with
complaints suggested themselves to
the commission says the report.
The one is the method OF hearing
complaints in formal procedure, as
prescribed by law. The other is the
method of bringing the interested
par lies together with a view Of reach
ing a satisfactory solution IN inror-
mai conference. Both methods with
various notifications have been EN-
ployed The commission assumed at
the outset that the people Of the state
OF Wisconsin desired TO have leg1ti-
mate grievances remedied promptly.
In the opinion of the commission the
best results can be established by re-
sorting to informal methods of kfo-
cedure wherever possible and to fall
back upon formal proceedings only
when other methods have failed.
Men sitting around a table in infor-
mai conference, discussing the sub
iect in hand with perfect freedom,
are much more likely to arrive at
some acceptable conclusion than
when every word is measured and be
comes a part of a record which may
figure in the courts. Ten and even
20 different matters have been dis
posed of in this informal manner at
single sitting, in less time than it
sometimes takes to honor the sworn
testimony in a single simple case.
Mary times. at these conferences,
one side or the other was made TO
see certain aspects OF the question at
issue in such light as to suggest an
immediate and satisfactory solution.
The commission wishes 10 state IN
hesitaungly that aside from its in
dependent Investigations, the work OF
these informal conferences is the
most important which il has accom-
plished. 1t IS almost needless 10 add
thai all The parties Interested In Il
case discussed in conference, inciud-
ing the commission generally made
the same preparation ior the presen-
tation Of pertinent facts as is nee
essary in formal proceedings,
Original Investigations.
The commission has endeayored
10 gain q thorough knowledge and
command Of all the fundamental facts
relating to the railways in Wiscon-
sin, in order that 1t may be efficiently
equipped to deal intelligently and
promptly with every question that
may come before it, Much of the
work has been pioneer work, by
which is meant that Investigations OF
the same kind or of the same degree
OF detail have, so far as is known to
the commission. never been under
taken either by railway companies
or by commissions. We refer espec-
tally to our analyses of the accounts
Of the railway companies and the tab
ulation and charting Of rates, the
former constituting one of the UIost
indispensable bases for judging the
absolute reasonableness OF rates and
the latter In determining the relation
Of rates.
work Of Tax Commission.
The work Zone by the tax com
mission In placing a valuation on the
FERROUS Wlst onsin railway properties
has Sicae much to facilitate the work
of this commission.
Number OF Complaints.
The total number OF formal com
piaints fled with the commission to
December 1. 1906. Is 80. or this