The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-18
PUBLIC UTILITIES
QUESTIONS ASKED BY
 BUSINESS MEN
They Cover a Lot of Ground
 and Are Striking
A DEMAND TO KNOW WHY

sent out the following letter to the newspapers of the state:- SUPERVISION OF CAPITALIZA-
 TION.
 Why do Connecticut trolley lines cost over s123,00O a mile and Massa- chusetts trolley lines less than SoO,o0O a mile? Who gets the s73,000 mile?
 Why is it that the Connecticut Rail way & Lighting Company, formed by merely combining nine existing com- panies. issued SPA, ,350,O0O in stocks and bonds when the total securities and floating debts of all the combined corpora tions amounted to less than ss.25Oooo Who profited by the
 Why is it that this company can pay per cent dividends on $15.0OO,- 900 of wind and water? Who really furnishes the money to pay these divi- dends?
 Why is it that the Shore Line Elec- tric Railway Company today can is sue S, 100000 of securities on prop erty which it says is worth less than s25o 900? Who will be asked to pur- chase these securities?
 Why should not a like excessive amount of securities be issued by any public service corporation in this state if acquired by interruptions promo ters? Who knows that this is not now being done?
 Why do promoters over-capitalize these corporations if not to make money? Who pays them their profits? Why should not public service cor porations be required to issue their securities only for value received, like other business corporations?
 Who objects to commission with power to require this, and with au- thority to see that the proceeds are properly used?
 POWER TO GRANT FRANCHISES.
 Why is there more than twice as much trolley line per square mile of area in Massachusetts than in Con- necticut. as we'll as more per capita of population?
 Who holds the charter rights to the unconstructed trolley lines in this state? Why is there a larger propor- ton of double track on the Massachu- sets trolley 1iHess than on the Con
 Who are delayed Sby the lack of double tracks?
 Why are there eighty-five different trolley companies in Massachusetts and only fourteen different trolley companies in Connecticut? Who doesn't want the competition of trol- ley lines?
 Why are there seventy-two inde- pendent gas companies in active opera ty-four in Connecticut?
 Who says that under the MaSSachu- setts system capital cannot be obtained to build gas plants-or trolley lines?
  pendent electric light companies in active operation in Massachusetts and only twenty-eight in Connecticut?
 Who uses electric lights?
 Why is Southington without gas to- day? Who suffers as a result?
 Why has it taken over four years to build a portion of the trolley line be- tween Hartford and Middletown? Who has held the charter right to build this line during this time? Why are half the charters granted by the General Assembly to public ser vice corporations never used? Who ob- jectS to the termination of unused charters, and to giving a commission power to grant necessary charter right in accordance with rules prescribed by the Legislature, to persons who will use those privileges to supply service to the plTblic2
 INSPECTION OF GAS AND ELEC-
 TRIC METERS.
 Why is there no method for efficient ly testing electric light meters? Who objects to giving a commission power to test gas and electric light meters upon request of the consumer? POWER TO ORDER REPAIRS FOR
 SAFETY OF PUBLIC AND
 EMPLOYEE.
 Why are nearly half a thousand rail- road employees killed or seriously in- jured in Connecticut every year?
 Who supports the families of killed and incapacitated employees?
 Why have accidents on the railroads and trolley lines in Connecticut in- creased 190 per cent in five years, while the mileage has increased only 15 per cent?
 Who objects to giving a state conn mission power to order or recommend repairs necessary for the safety of the public and of employees?
 POWER 10 REGULATE RATES.
 Why are not more than twenty troll ley tickets sold for a dollar in New Haven, Hartford or Bridgeport, as in twenty-nine Scities of approximately the same size throughout the coun- try?
 Who furnishes the cash for the in- terest and dividends paid on the ex- cess capitalization of our trolley roads?
 Why are the householders in New Haven, Hartford and Bridgeport charged Il cents, and in Waterbury F centsper kilo-watt hour for cleo tric current for lighting, when a small CT charge is made in over twenty-five cities of approximately the same size throughout the country?
 Who knows whether the charges are reasonable, or whether the capital stock on which the dividends are paid represents wind and water only?
 Why are freight rates per ton mile SS per cent higher in Connecticut than the average throughout the United
 
 the average in New England? GNho knows why one express com pany recently paid an extra dividend of POO percent?
 Why are bills fixing rates submit ted to every session of the General Who presents these bills? Why are the able but inexperienced members of the Legislat ture unable to fix rates?
 Who could fairly and intelligently decide such complex problems without study, experience, eXamina- tion of plants, equipments and books, expert knowledge and full informa- tion?
 Why should any fair minded, mo- nopolistic corporation, which has been accorded special and extraordinary powers to enable it to serve the pub lie, obect to an examination into its rates by a small, fair, expert com mission if such rates are in fact just and reasonable? Who does object? SUCH A COMMISSION IS NOT DAN
 CURIOUS.
 Why is that the people of Mas