Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1906-1908, 1906-12-07
RULE STREET RAIL WAYS
STATE RATE COMMISSION SAYS IT
HAS POWER.
First Report Shows New Law Has Stood
Test-Better Appliances for Safe
ty of Employees.

MADISON, Wis, Dee 3.-ISpeciaI.
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
ern0r. This construction is vital to the
city OF Milwaukee as the council of that
city has petitioned the commission to
remedy alleged evils III the Milwaukee
system and reduce rates. The report
says:
The jurisdiction of the commission over
street railways should be either increased or
diminished. Under the construction placed
upon the law by the attorney general and
! by the commissions 1t confers jurisdiction
upon the commission to regulate any street
railway company whose lines pass beyond
the limits of the city i'll which it is operat-
ing. This right of regulation extends to the
urban business of the company rs well 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 rcgu-
late the business of IL street railway com
pany whose lines are entirely within the
limits of the city i'll 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
demonstrated the excellent work which was
done in its preparation and enactment. Not
Il 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 ruling of
the commission, in informal conference or
by means of correspondence.
AS shown by the report. during the period
from June >, 1905, to June 30, 1906, the
total number. of passengers killed i'll Wis
consn in train accidents was five and the
total number Of injured was 161; the total
number killed platforms was one and the
total number injured on platforms was
twenty four: the total number OF trainmrl
killed was thrty-tiye and the total number
injured was S13; the total number of shop
men Killed one and the total number of
shopmen injured was forty-eight; the total
number of statonmcn killed was one and
the total number of stationmen injured was
forty-fvc: the total number of other en-
ployes killed was sixteen and the total mum
Der injured 4O3; the total number of
treSpaSSerS killed on trains was thirty-four
and the total number injured was seventy:
the total number of treSpasserst killed on
right of way was eighty-three and the total
number injured was forty-siX: the total
number of persons neither trespa ssers nor
employees who were killed was eight and fine
total number injured was seventy-seycu:
the total number killed on crossing was
twenty seven anu the total number injured
on crossings was ninety; the total number
of all classes of persons killed was I'll and
the total number injured was 1TS3
The commission has instructed its pn~i
ncer to enter into correspondence with en-
ginecrfs throughout the country with a view
of ascertaining the best appliances for the
protection Of railway employees and the
public. Tho result of his Investigation viii
he embodied in Il report which will he III.
basis of future action by the commlss oil.
We would recommend that the law be so
amended as to provide that all actions
brought against the commission to set aside
its orders should he brought III Dane coun-
ty. There is some doubt about thu pro
vinioEs Of chapter 500. laws of 1903. cx-
tending TO suits brought against the com
mission