Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-01-04
BOARD OF PUBLIC
UTILITIES WANTS
BROADER POWERS
Specific Law for Dealing with
Railroads Is Rec.
commended.
ABOLITION OF CROSSINGS
IS DISCUSSED IN REPORT
Nearly Three Thousand Acci-
dents Occur During 3 Years.
Many Investigated.

TRENTON, Jan. 4.-Among the nu-
OF Public Utility Commissioners for
the Strengthening OF the law under
which they operate, Ia one giving the
board power to order the abolition of
dangerous grade crossings and provid-
ing for an equitable division of the cost
between the railroad companies, the
State and the municipalities interested
That a statute be enacted incorpo-
rating this idea is recommended In the
annual report of the commission, which
has just been handed to Governor
Fort.
Because OF the fact that the railroad
companies would, under such an ar
rangement be the most directly bene-
fitted, the commission believes that
they should be made to bear the
greater part of tho cost Continuing
the report says:
THE sum to be paid by the State
should be limited by law and appro-
priated each year from the taxes as
sessed on railroad properties. This sum
should be apportioned among the
municipalities by the Board Of Public
Utility Commissioners. upon applica-
ton as hereafter indicated, Its pay
ment to be conditional upon the pay
ment by the municipality of the sum
fixed by law as its share.
ITO prevent undue burdens falling
upon municipalities the law, while
naming the proportion of the cost to
be borne by them In the event OF orders
being issued for the elimination OF one
or more crossings within their limits,
should provide that the sum to be paid
by any municipality In any one year
must not exceed a certain percentage
of Its income from taxation.
Method Of Procedure Outlined.
This sum should be SO limited as to
prevent any unreasonable disburse-
ment of the municipal funds for this
purpose, and tho interest OF the mu
inequalities could be further protected
by providing that no order of the Board
of Public Utility Commissioners re-
Quiring the abolishment of grade
crossings shall be issued except after
hearing on the application of the gov
erning body of the municipality where
the crossing is located or of certain
number of citizen taxpayers thereof"
Considerable space is devoted to a
consideration of standards of service
to be maintained by public utilities. 1t
is contended that these standards can
better be fixed by general orders OF the
commission than by statute. In sup
port of this 1t is pointed out that i'm
provements in the standards of quality
of gas, for example have been so great
that those provided by statute years
ago would not now be regarded as con-
atitrttpP adoo11ata serVtoe
Three years experience has led the
board to the conclusion that most of
the things accomplished are done
through negotiation with the COM
panies and by compliance with recon-
mendations rather than by the issuance
of orders.
Then follows the suggestion Of the
division of the burden of the cost of
abolishing the crossings.
Accidents Are Investigated.
During the three years from July l,
1907, to July 1, 1910, the board received
from the railroad companies reports of
2,493 accidents, Of which 963 resulted
fatally. When any douDt has existed
as to the cause of or the responsibility
for an accident 1t has been Investigated
BY the boards inspectors or by mem
bers OF the board It is stated that
many of the accidents were prevent
able and were due to disobedience by
employees of orders designated to pro-
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