Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-06-12
State Assembly Places Their Con.
troll with the Railroad
Commission.
VOTE. sEvENTY-sEvEN TO TEN
Heat, Light and Other Companies
Are Affected.
Commission Is Given Authority to
Regulate Their Rates and Serv-
iCes-State News of Cen
eraI Interest

Madison, Wis, June 10.-The public
utilities regulation bill, which confers
on the state railroad commission au
thority to regulate the rates and serv-
ice Of all heat, water, light, power and
telephone companies Of the state,
passed under suspension of the rules
in the assembly, and will come up in
the senate early this week. The vote
on the passage Of the bill was II to
10. One Republican, four Democrats
and five Social Democrats voted
against it.
The bill is intended as a redemp-
ton Of one OF the political pledges
made in the Republican state platform
last fall. When it came up for con
sidera ton it was amended so as to
limit the expenses of carrying out its
provision to So, 900. Then Assembly
man Carl d. Thompson, Social Demo-
crat, offered an amendment attaching
a referendum provision to it, but the
amendment was rejected by a vote of
70 TO Is. Towns, cities or villages
which may own, operate or control
any public utility are included in the
provisions of the bill
Franchises cannot be granted for
public utilities after the passage oe the
act unless permission is first received
from the state commission, which
must find that there is reasonable
necessity for such additional utility.
Individuals or corporations now hold
ing franchises may have them made
perpetual by filing written surrender
with the clerk of the municipality
which granted it before next January.
Telephone systems may be duplicated
without permission from the state
commission.
No municipality can construct a
public utility plant of it's own with.
ont first obtaining permission from
the commission, but can compel exist
ing public utilities to sell out to it by
appeal to the commission and paying
the price fixed on the property by the
commission. Authority to appeal from
the orders of the commission to the
circuit court is given. Violations of
the act are punishable by a fine Of
from 800 to $1,000 for each offense.
The senate has passed the Owen
bill creating a waterways commission
without a dissenting vote. This bill
provides that the commissioner shall
exercise the same powers now con
ferred upon the railway rate commits
sion over traffic upon the inland
waters Of the state. in addition. the
bill authorizes a careful investigation
of the methods, means and cost Of
transportation on the navigable rivers
OF the state, and also as to methods
of improving the navigabiltty of the
same.
The promoters Of the legislation are
interested i'm the improvement of the
upper Mississippi river and the meas
ure has the backing of the business
men Of Lacrosse and other river
towns. 1t is not intended, however,
10 limit the Investigations to this one
stream, but to make a careful study
of possible wafer routes on all possible
streams and lakes of the state where
benefit can ensue to the people. La
Crosse has been especially interested
i'm this project, the claim being made
that a system can be devised which
will give that and other cities its fuel
supplies by river route at a greatly re-
ducpd price