The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-10-26
FOR CONTROL OF
 PUBLIC UTILITIES
Ralph o. Wells Defends the
 Proposed Bill

Ralph O. Wells, who has given much study to the creation of a Public Util- 1ties Commission in this State, made an address in Hartford, Monday night He spoke in part as follows:
 By Public Service Corporations is meant railroads, street railways, gas, electric flight, water and telephone companies, etc. These corporations are distinguished from the ordinary lars. First, they always possess one of two classes of special privileges; either the right of eminent domain, or the right to place construction in the highways. These special privileges are ordinarily and properly monopo1is- tic in almost every case. Second, the Public Service Corporations are quasi Public Corporations, and are under obligation to furnish service to all without discrimination.
 Some months ago MT. Mellen, the president of the largest Public Ser letter to the Connecticut Editorial Association stating his views on the question of the supervision and regu- 1ation of these corporations by means of a commission, suggested that precise, preliminary statement of the abuses which are found by the ex- perience of this State to need correc- tion should be given.
 President Jones of the State Busi- ness Mems Association, in reply, fur
 
 as some of the evils to be remedied the following: First, unused charter rights; second traffic and special priv
 1eges; third, unsafe conditions; fourth incorrect meters: fifth, refusal to sup ply service; sixth unsatisfactory ser vice: seventh, a1ths n unfair rates; eighth publicity. In 8 subsequent letter MT. MelIen admitted these abuses to ex- Business Mems Bill to be just. He has not since suggested, however, any efficient method for correcting these abuses.
 The State Business Mems Associa- tion has sought to provide an efficient remedy by creating 8 small, indepen- with the necessary powers, to be ex- ercised in accordance with general rules prescribed by the Legislature. The first two evils enumerated are primarily to the effect that Public Service Corporations are today creat- ed by special charters granted by the sembly sits only once in two years, short time, Consequently, when two more rival sets of individuals ask for a special charter for a gas or electric light company Or street rail- way. the General Assembly is compell- ed to guess as to which will use the charter and has not the time or means to withhold the grant of the privilege until it can be sure that those to whom it is granted will use it for the public benefit. Furthermore Legislation in the General Assembly is commonly carried on by what is known as the log rolling process or trading Of votes.
 Because Public Service Corpora tions be granted to only one company at time. the special charters creating them have considerable actual value and where they are greatly desired by one or more combinations of men, can ordinarily be sold by the holder For this reason there has grown up known as the lobby consisting of a few Individuals who make a business of eontrolling this vote trading or log rolling in order that they may be able to get the votes necessary to 1 obtain these special charters when 1 desired for themselves for their | clients.
 The Business Menfs Bill provides for 1 the granting of the. necessary special prescribed by the Legislature. This | will permit the organization of Public | Service Corporations at any time un- 1 der the existing corporation act, and l by removing the grant of special char 1 ters from the General Assembly, will 1 tend in large measure to destroy 1 the present lobby and to vest the nec- | essary special privileges in those par ties who will use the1n for the pub lie benefit, and not in those who ac- qufre them merely for purposes of sale
 The third evil, indicated by MT. 
 exists in this State, as there are over 1000 persons a year killed or injur- ed on our railroads and street rail ways alone. The recent trolley ac- icident near White Oak Park, at a +point where similar accident had oc- cured shortly before, and the recent Ito the lack of properly controlled sig nal systems: the recent accident on sence of a derailing switch; the recent death of the manager of the Farming ton telephone exchange, presumably due to a crossing of telephone and of the need of some state commission with power to investigate the causes venting future recurrence and with power to require such changes Or al- terat1ons in plants and equipment as may be necessary to protect the safe tv of the public and employees.
 The evil of incorrect meters is not a serious one in this state, but that it presumably exists is demonstrated by the experience in New York and Massac achusetts, where these meters are examined upon complaint by commis- sions. There is certainly no logical reason why a consumer who is com peI1ed to purchase his water or cleo tricity from one company only and pany, should not have that meter ex- amined when he so desires by an inn partial third person with power to re- quire the company to correct the me ter or furnish a new one in case the meter is found to be incorrect. Prac- tica11y every other form of scale or measure is examined by public off cials appointed for the purpose under our law today. The fifth and sixth evils suggested clearly exist in this State. Electric light companies and telephone com panies have both refused to furnish 1 service in places where they had ex- elusive rights to supply electricity or telephone connections. Our trolley c.re in r.asny parts Of the state are U2=- much over-crowded at certain 1 hours of the day and in some places the gas es:==:!e:2eH 4= azefieved to be Of