The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1908-09-10
WILL BENEFIT ALL CITIES
President of the Board Declares That
Passage of the Railroad Rate
Will Demand Higher Stand
ards of Service


chairman of the commission, before the
league of Wisconsin municipalities in
session at Oconomowoc last week. Data
Of all kinds relating to the operation
and construction of utility plants has
been gathered by the commission and
is now available to the managers of the
different concerns, Prof. Meyer point
ed out, what he considers a serious de-
feet in the question, when he declared
that many Of the plants in this state
had oeen constructed without foresight
and needed remodeling.
Il cannot refrain from expressing
the view that the public utilities law is
epoch making, not only for Wisconsin,
but for the nation, just as the rail
road law of 1905 was epoch-making, ;"
he declares "From a business point
of view the utility law persistently
tends to establish and perpetuate all
utility enterprises in Wisconsin on a
sound basis, to promote the arts as
well as the sciences which underlie each
CLASS VI 6HG0T PRISE.
Prof. Meyer opened his address with
a brief. statement that the utility law
aims at the best service, at the low
est rates consistent with a fair and
reasonable return on the investment. -
He told how the commission had re-
Gently announced IS rules and require
ments- regarding the character of ser
vice to be furnished, and added,
"these standards will form the begin
ming of what shall develop in the
course of few years into a uniform
code under which private companies
and municipalities operating public
utilities will vie with one another for
superiority in the service at the low
est possible rates.
Similarly, when municipality or
a company holds itself out to the pub
lie as a producer, transmitter and dis
tributor of water, light, heat or power,
the public utilities law contemplates
that it's service shall meet certain re-
qulrements, and the instrumentalities
through which this service is pro-
vided is primarily matter for the
utility.
Zone management may employ an
tiquated machinery and follow out-of.
date methods, but this does not excuse
it from meeting the reasonable re-
quirements of efficient service An
other management may equip it's plant
with the most up-to-date machinery
and adopt the most approved methods
and with great ease exceed the mini
mum requirements of the law. In all
cases it is the management of the
plant which is responsible to the pub
lie for the quality of the service which
it's provides.
"Since the PRONUNCIATION of the stan
dards Of gas and electric service the
commission has received letters from
a number of the smaller utilities,
both municipal and private, describ-
ing the limitations under which the
respective plants are being operated
and asking for suggestions with re-
spect to the manner in which they can
be managed so as to meet the pre-
scribed standards. I wish to refer
here to one suggestion which the COM
mission has made in that connection
which believe to be full of possibii-
ties.
"Various testing devices and appll-
ances which are necessary for living
up to the highest standards in all
respects are out Of reach of many
small utilities. It is believed to be
practicable for such utilities jointly
to purchase instruments, establish la
boratories, and possibly also employ
expert help.
t'The whole state might be divided
into districts, the utilities within
each district maintaining a common
laboratory, and common inspector
for the maintenance of proper stand
and of inspection who shall visit each
plant within the district periodically
and be generally responsible to the
management of the different plants
IO1 JIG maintenance OIL proper SGduu-
ards. A basis for the equitable ap-
portionment Of the common expenses
attendant upon the execution of such
a plan can be readily established for
the plants in any particular district y
Prof. Meyer spoke of the different
complaints to the commission and then
talked at length of the expert service
furnished by the engineering staff as
sisting the rate board. He said that
the commission was always ready to
give utilities what advice it could
from all the expert data gathered.
In examining the various plants
about the state it is often painfully
evident that there has been serious
lack Of foresight in planning for the
FUTURE he added. "While this CON
dition may in part have been due TO
the fact that additions to the prop
erty have been made piece-meal, and
in some instances by the blending to-
gether of several plants, there never
theless appears to be an urgent de-