The morning journal-courier., 1908-03-05
Thursday, March 5. 1908.
PUBLIC UTILITIES HEARING.

PUBLIC UTILITIES HEARING.
 It is an encouraging sign of the times that the announcement of the preparations made for a public hear ing on the proposed public utilities bill has been received with enthusi- asm. We have never had the slightest doubt that the people of the State were ready and anxious to make more eff ficient the means of regulating the public service corporations of Con- necticut. They appreciate the reasons why that is necessary, and they favor the supervision of all corporations doing business under a special charter and enjoying exclusive rights. This is conclusively shown in the decision of the investigating commission to hold public hearings. Had 1t not felt the common desire for action it might have confined itself to clerical in- quiries of the corporations themselves.
 The history of this movement to bring the public service corporations under stricter control Is both interest ing and suggestive. From the first it has had the support of those who appre- rciated on the one hand, the necessity 1 for holding some sort of an effective weapon over the heads of these cor operations, and who were, on the other hand, without prejudice against the corporations. It was not born, in oth i CT words. of a spite against corporate wealth and power. It has never had the support of the corporations them se,vcs, though why not has never been i convincingly stated. "A just law could not work to their disadvantage, while i a fabby oversight would be sure in the end to work to the injustice and disadvantage of the public. Governor Woodruff attached the movement to his culver full of practical issues and urged upon the general assembly the passage of a resolution giving him power to appoint a commission charg- ed with the task of inquiring into the feasibility of amending existing laws and of increasing the power of the State through a commission over all public service corporations. The sug- gestion at the outset met with the quie' but effective opposition of the leaders of the legislature. Whetler they were moved in their attitude by the op. position of the corporations, or wheth- CT they were pleased to again show their teeth to the governor is no long CT of particular interest. The import. ant fact is that when the governor warned them that a failure on the part of the general assembly to act would provoke him to call an extra session. they climbed far enough dowr the tree to pass a resolution, but not far enough down to let him do the se- lecting of the commissioners. They did that for themselves, having submitted to him list of names from which tt give counsel.
 It was never intended by the 1egis. lative leaders to have this movemen
 bear fruit A commission of able mel was appointed. but no one of the citi. be an enthusiastic supporter of tn movement was mentioned in that con. nection. It is to be said now to tht credit of this commission that 1t ha deliberately ignored the obscur, phraseology of the act and has under
 taken to go thoroughly into the sub ject of a more scientific control of thu public service corporations. The dan ger now is that the hearing may fai to call out the testimony desired for
 number of reasons. Many who favor ; public utilities commission have n personal knowledge of how best to or ganize it or just what powers to con fer on it, and may on that accoun consider it forward on their part t give counsel to a body of men alread, reasonably familiar with the subject I Others will find the distance from thei
 home to Hartford, together with hom cares, an obstacle. The opponents O the plan, on the other hand, will b.
 sure to be there, for to oppose so sim pie a remedy for corporate abuse i to disclose self-interest, and self-inter est can always be depended on to max itself heard. In the meantime the fac runs on all fours with common sens that having granted the principle o natural monopoly the State of Con necticut must for its oWh protection
 create a power of oversight whici may be made effective whenever it necessary to invoke it. This is all tn more necessary in a State whose gen eral assembly meets only once in tw
 years and is then chcked with puhli