Norwich bulletin., 1910-04-29
Hon. 6. 3. Chandler on Public Utilities
Addresses Norwich usiness Mems Association
 Points Required in the EiIl-Other Speakers

An audience Of nearly 100 members of the Norwich Business Mems asso- citation and of the New London and
 Willimantic associations was at Buck insfam Memorial on Thursday evening to hear Hon. George B. Chandler of Rocky HiH, who had been invited here by the local aesociation to speak upon the public utilities bill. President Thomas F. Burns opened the meeting with welcome to the out of town visitors and Secretary C. " Pearson read letters of regret from Mayor Lip pitt. President E. A. Tracy of the Board of Trade and President Alexan- der Campbell of the New London Busi- ness Mems association.
 Public Utilities Commission.
 Representative Chandler was intro- duced by President Burns and spoke for about an hour in advocacy of a bill which should provide for a public utilities commission. In opening he commended the state business mems which gave backing to the fight for e public utilities bill- He said that it was his purpose to give a general idea of the public utilities bill and the point of view of those in the hast legislature who believed as he did In dealing with public service corporations we. are blazing our way through new trail and we have no precedents for their
 
 service corporations are such as fur nish us with gas. electricity. trapspor- tation, telephone. water or express facilities. and between public service corporations and private corporations there Is fundamental difference.
 Public service corporations are either natural or artificial monopolies, and a monopoly without regulation is fntol- erable. Manufacturers and retailers are subject alike to the old economic law of competition, but with public service corporations this is suspend ed. Here is the fundamental difference between the two kinds
 A second point of difference is that public service corporations receive very often the right of eminent domain. an entirely proper and necessary right, for without it not a railroad could be built. In view of these two facts 1t is entirely just that the state should reg ulate and restrict the public service 
 furnish good service at reasonable rates. but who is to be the judge? They really are the judges. for in the end we have to take their figures. and we contend that there should be exist ing some tribunal always in session which the ordinary man could get at and that 1t should be possessed of fa- cilities to determine equitable condi- tions.
 No Regulation at Present.
 There is practically no regulation at present. The railroad commission has ao power to regulate and the popular assembly cannot regulate by the ao- pointment of committees to investi- gate. Their members are not experts and that kind of regulation is entirely for it is generally based on insufficient knowledge or a preJu- lice for or against the public service By describing the many technical questions entering into the whether trolley fare be- .ween Stonington and Pawcatuck or at ought to be reduced, Rep- Chandler argued for a that would not have to re- y on figures furnished by the corpora ion, but could take time enough to 1ire experts and go into the details n way that legislative committee cannot do.
 He advocated commission of from hree to five men at annual salaries of F. 500, appointed like the judges of the uperior court and removable for cause s that radical or attacking vested i'm erests, he asked. If the public serv- 1 ce corporation is giving good service | las it anything to fear from a high ! ,rade commission like this? To 1t you ould appeal at any time. but who can | -ou appeal to now?