The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1909-03-13
PROPOSED LAW FOR TIE SUPERVISION
OF NEVADA PUBLIC UTILITIES

BILL has been introduced in IL, legislature INT which will receive
AZ serious consideration with chance # passing that puts all the public
4 y utility corpora hons of the state under the jurisdiction Of the Nevada
State Railroad commission.
Under the provision, the railroad commission would have supervision of
the telegraph. telephone and express companies; the water companies, the
electric light and gas companies, the street railway companies and all cr
pcrations Of a quasi public character
The moral and legal relation between the public utility corporations and
the people they servs is a subecs that has engaged the attention Of pubicits
city of size in the country where the question Ct abuses by the public utility
corporations has lot been forced upon the people by their ggresions in n
tcrm or another. Recall Denver. sanF Francisco, Los Angeles, Pttsbmg, Chi
cago. Cincinnati New York and other Cities net mentioning he scores of
smaller communities which have been victims of the rapacny OF corporations
New York state has been compelled % enac a law creating a pubncuthty
commission. other states have the same law, and sm ether states are fol-
had tee much lesway n a a result ave arrogated to themselves entirely too
much power and authority.
All public utility corporations derive their right to d. business from h
people. 1t is tho certain rights in the form of franchises. that give them h
use of the streets and alleys and highways # the people for their particular
use. The people make the streets for the use and convenience of the public;
they are he arteries of trade and commerce. and they confera an invaluable
right when they turn over these streets to individuals forming a corporation.
n give them h right exclusive in most cassD to occupy Theses streets and
Highways for their own purposes The streets are torn up for and
water MAINS; the middle If the streets are given overt c railway tracks; they
place telegraph and telephone AM cleo trio light poles wherever it suits their
or building. They ency exclusive privileges in the streets. alleys and high,
uav over all others am it USED to be. more thai it is % that they were
rendered.
That they do render service to the people, and valuable service goes
without saying, ard this is what makes the question so delicate and compi
Gated. If they were nt O. service % the community, they would son have
their status established; ut the inter dependence OF the served nd he server
makes it very dimcult to determine just where the rights and privileges of
N begin and the other leave of. Large modern cities would be impossible
without electric car service; telegraph, telephone. electric light water and
" service We could not get along in this community without our electric
light and power, u water and sewer utilities. Electricity is what las made
mirmg n thu desert possible. and the benefits o people n corporations
se reciprocal. But it has been h tendency everywhere after franchises arc
awe for corporations to gradually encroach upon he rights Of III people
until at at they frequently yak up to find themselves completely enm@hed
ant powerins. For this reason there has grown throughout the country >
spirit Of unfriendlness to public utility corporations. especially in those com
nunitis where tho corporations havc entered politics to gain h mastery
they want. In such state where h abuses are notorious public utility com
missions have boon established to protect; the rights # the people ant also TO
see that the corporations get AN that's coming to them.
whether Nevada IA reached the unhappy state hat demands a public
utility commission or supervision by state authorities is a question. We have
not N 10 tn understanding that the corporations o thsS state II the char
aMg in question: m abusing their privileges or sncroaching upon the rights
Of III pops. In fact thsrs Il little to complain II In thsd direction
on tAs Other hand. much IL No the people who have invested vat I'M
in electric WAGER md other plants m this desert. where distances arr great
ana tie nnnbm Of people small However, II It d lot tn intent Of the law to