The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1908-01-16
PUBLIC Utility BILLS
Several Promised for Presentation
to the Legislature.
TO REGULATE CORPORATIONS
Demand That Ohio Should Take Pro
0ressive step--stories About .he
Coming Session Of the General
Assembly.
Especial Correspondence

COlumDus. O.-Inat time WOrkS
great change n public sentiment is
evidenced Ivy the attitude OF the peo.
pie toward a public utilities bill now
a. compared with four years ago.
A bill YVES introduced in the Scv.
enty-flfth general assembly providing
for the state regulation OF all public
service corporations more strin
gent regulation than is now exercised
over steam railroads by the state rail.
road commission. That bill was al.
most laughed out of existence and
now 1t develops that 1t was simply
ahead Of the times.
Since then Wisconsin and Now
York have enacted pubic utility bi'ls.
and they are so successful in tl.e
states named that the people wonder
how they ever got along without
them when the subject was first
broached four years ago, Massachu-
sets was the only state that boosted
Of bill regulating public service cor.
porations; and when some astltc
Ohioans sought to get into line with
that policy. the proposition was not
given serious consideration By the
lawmakers.
Now there is an awakening. II is
predicted that several bills to regulate
public service corporations will be in
troduced in the next legislature.
Half q dozen members OF the legis-
lature are giving the subject deep
thought, with the idea of. introducing
bills. and others are studying the
proposition so rs to bo In a position
to act intelligently upon II. It ia the
Wisconsin bill is the one to use as a
model.
That gives state commission
power to regulate all public service
corporations. IL was enacted into a
law at the last session OF the Wiscon.
sin legislature and 1t has met with
popular favor. The Wisconsin law
has not been as much In the public
eye as the New York state law. but
that is because Of local New York
conditions. In that city the public
service commission has had a real
situation" 10 deal with and according
to the reports Of the work Of the com.
mission, II IL a lucky thing for the
people that Governor Hughes had the
temerity to push his pet measure to
enactment into law.
The New York Law is cumbersome
by comparison with the Wisconsin
law, and from New York come dis
patches TO the effect that the legisla.
ture will be asked to make amend.
ments to put II more in line with the
Wisconsin law.
II is argued by political economists
that that state which first succeeds
in intelligently changing its system,
or rather want OF system, OF organiz-
fng and regulating public utility cor
porations by adopting a system in
conformity with the Wisconsin plan,
will soonest establish conditions that
will induce the greatest degree OF
prosperity and we'll being for its mu-
inequalities and their inhabitants. So
conditioned and so controlled. public
utility monopolies will become the
friends and servants Of the people and
will render the best services OF which
they are capable at the lowest econ.
omist cost to users.
In Wise sin ii is agreed that the
enactment Of the Wisconsin measure
Is tho mos, important single piece OF
legislation ever enacted by the legis-
lature of an American state. II means
emancipat'' from prejudice for the
American people. II means the end
OF the rule OF political and financial
spectators.
The motif OF the Wisconsin bill Is
the establishment OF the principles OF
reciprocal justice between public util.
tiles and he users OF the service they
render. II sives additional powers to
the existing board of railroad commits
eioners, board composed Of three
commissioners, appointed by the gov
ernor with the consent of the senate,
for term OF SIX years, after the mi
tial term, and removable by the gev-
srnor for cause
II places under the jurisdiction Of
the state board OF railroad commits
sioners the manufacture and distribu-
tion Of gas and electricity for light,
heat and power; telephone and water
services and street railway com panies
The purpose OF commissions In
both Wisconsin and New York 10 de-
clared In both laws to be the securing
Of adequate service and reasonable
rates. All rebates. determinations,
special privileges and favors are
strictly prohibited. All equipment
and methods Of manufacturing. dis
tributins. measuring and charging for
services are placed under supervision
and examination. and the product sold
= made the subject Of continuous
tests and observation. The publica-
tion Of schedules for inspection by
consumers or users In required. and
Il is made unlawful to charge greater
or less rates than those shown on
published schedules
The successful public utility bill will
not rob municipalities Of their right 10