Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-06-28
TELLS REASON
OF HIS DELAY
CONTINUED from First Pagc.)

while the public is universally de-
pendent upon our public utilities COM
panies, 1t is now necessary, and for a
long time has been necessary, that
these corporations should be more
thoroughly under the control of public
statutory laws.
ION an examination of our present
utilities laws, we are chagrined and
astounded to find that in the present
crisis the laws upon our statute books
are SO general In heir nature as In
some instances to be of doubtful con-
stitutional validity, and at the same
time are so lacking in any specie dele
cation of powers to the Public Utilities
Commission thereby created as to be
practically useless as a remedy by
which to seek relief in an investigation
on the present increase In passenger
rates, or to furnish any methods by
which they may be fixed or controlled
before they become effective against
the people of the State, no such pro-
vision, for example, as appears in the
public service commissions laws of
New York on this subject, or in the
legislation so general in other States,
which are 4~>.igned to meet such emer-
gencies.
There appears a law implicitly per-
hitting a charge of three cents per
mile for passenger traffic. This is en-
tirely improper at a time when our
railroads are actively seeking passen-
ger traffic at one cent per mile. and
paying large sums in advertising to get
it. In short, our laws on the subject
of public utilities and railroads are
woefully inadequate and obsolete.
THE attention of your excellency is
directed to the fact that the statutory
law now enacted by our Legislature is
not Sufficiently definite and specific in
the power delegated to our present
board of railroad commissioners to
likely emergencies.
Chapter Al of the laws of 1910 makes
very broad general provisions for the
commission, but on every subject here
there seems to be a possibility that the
commissioners would be of service the
language used is SO broad and general
as to make the law of doubtful consti-
nationality.
"A most curious wording of the first
section of the amendment, changing
the title of the act, would seem to cast
doubt upon the validity.
Governor Fort gave one very positive
reason why he has not called a special
session up to date. He was talking
to J. Frank Camp and w. H. Hunter,
of the Ridgefeld Park Commuters
League. and rave them to understand
1t would do no god to call a special
session at this time" That was the
governors response to a request that
he call a special session. What may
we expect to accomplish at such a ses-
sion?" was the query of Governor Fort
in response to the commuters I'M
e~quivocal demand.
1--WE can put our representatives on
record as to whether they are willing
to so amend the law as to clothe the
new utility commission with power tc
| regulate rates or force the commission
to operate under a law which every
body seems to admit gives them nc
| power was the answer of the com
muters.
But replied the Governor, thus
disclosing his reason for not acting up
to the present time, "the Legislature
has no power to amend a law hat is
tlot tpCtattfts ohu ~ PobfiS utiitI att
will not become operative until July 4
next. That Is why I have hesitated
about calling a special session. but I
considered 1t better not to make my
reason public"
What Railways May Do.
Continuing, the Governor said: Sup
posing a special session was called and
rate-regulating power conferred on the
commission. then the railroads might
cut oft your communication rates en-
tirely, then your condition would be
made worse than It is now"
"Then the Legislature could pass a
law requiring the roads to continue the
Communication rates" declared the COM
muters.
"But such a law might not be opera
| tive" replied the Governor.
well. then. the three-cent-a-miie law
might be abolished and . o~ne-ceut-a-