The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-07-12
DUBIOUS OUTLOOK
 FOR UTILITIES BILL.
Called Conservatives Seemingly Favor a
 Futility Bill
Hopeless Fight Being Made = In Committee to Bring
 Forth a Measure that
 Would Be of Some Use to the People.
(special to Farmer.)

Hartford. July 12.-Despite the state- ment of House Chairman Scott of the General Assembly's special committed on the public utilities question that he hoped to have a bill ready to report this week, it is not likely that the re- port will be made during the present week and possibly not until next week Representative Chandler's statement that the committee had not yet fallen on a disagreement is only true in the letter; the fact is as previously stated in the Farmer that there is marked disagreement among it's members over whether or net a public utilities com mission ought to be given authority over rate making. The radicals and several of the committeeman who may be termed neutrals believe it should; the conservatives differ from them The special committee started it's task by throwing overheard all of the fea- lures of the bill reported by the 1907 committee. Authority over rates. con- trol of capitalization, the right to supervise the chartering of public utilities corporations; re-codification of existing laws: one after another the salient features of the bill were dis pensed with. After considerable dis cussion, a subcommittee consisting of Representatives Scott, Hayes and Whiton was appointed to draft bill: with the expectation that what they would bring in would be adopted and reported.
 IL had previously been decided that the special commission should not be disturbed only given additional powers and that there should be provided in the new bill. a public utilities commits sion of three members at the same salary as the railroad commissioners receive, $3,0O0, to work with it and have charge of all corporations except railroads. The bill drafted by the sub committees provided these change and gave both commissions recommenda- tory powers over rates, capitalization operation and management of public setts scheme of allowing the commits sions to present to<the ensuing Iegisla- ture the facture of any corporation to adopt its recommendations was fol- lowed to some degree.
 -TAe bill was regarded as an equable compromise and while not wholly sat- isfactory to -he radicals. Chandler and Whiton, it would have been signed by them. Indeed. it was expected that It would meet the approval of the whole mittee presented it. when it appeared that most of the conservatives didn't like it. It seemed to them tha rate making the betenoir of the corpora tion lawyers ought to be let alone. Wherefore the subcommittee bill is held up until one is drafted by the ultra-conservatives, when the whole committee will thrash out the matter between the two. There has been no official action to indicate this. but the special committee is actually split over this matter of rate making and it is quite within the possibilities that un- less the conservatives agree to the sub-committee's bill. it will be report ed as the minority bill and an offer will be made to get the House to ac- cent inns putting onto the Senate the burden of dropping the features con- corning rate making if it cares to do SO. The feeling in the House for public utilities bil lis as strong as ever.