The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-08-01
Forbids Increase.

Taking up. ON It's own initiative, the
proposed increase in passenger rates on
the railroads. the Public Utilities Com
mission gave the subject an investigation
and then postponed the hearing until q
later date. Before adiourning the Com
mission issued an order restraining the In
crease and ordered that the rates be not
raised until October. The exact text of
the order is not before US. but the Penn
sylvania Railroad Company. the only rail-
road operating In this part Of the state,
has Issued orders not to increase excursion
rates between stations in the state but al
lowing increase In other tickets, holding
that the rates between points In New Jer-
sey and other states are beyond the juris-
diction of the Commission. This point
will be discussed later, possibly, by the
parties interested.
The law creating the Public Utilities
Commission says that when any public
utility as therein defined shall increase any
existing rates, joint rates, tolls, charges or
schedules thereof, as well as Communication,
mileage. and other special rates, or change
or alter any existing classification, the
Commission shall have power to inyesti-
gate whether the action is just and reason
able and shall have power pending such
Investigation to order the suspension of
the said increase. The question that
seems to enter into the present situation
Is whether the powers of the state and the
United States Commissions conflict.
The roads haye all along pre-
ferred to call their suggested action re-
adjustment Of rates In conformity with q
requirement Of the Interstate Commerce
Commission, saying that while there were
increases involved these were outnumbered
by the decreases intended, and the general
effect of the readjustment would really be
lowering of passenger rates. Two mem
bers of the Public Utilities Commission,
Daniel and HilIery. Commissioner Will
liams being in Europe, decided. however,
not to permit any increases at all until
they had been informed Of the reasons for
them and could give judgment on their
fairness.
AS the time was too short to thfesh the
matter out before to-day the commission
ordered a suspension of the railroads
orders SO far as increases in rates were
concerned.
The next step In the proceedings will be
an inquiry by the board into the reason
ableness of the projected increases. The
FIRST hearing on this question takes place
at Trenton to-day.
The railroads affected by the commits
sion's order are the Pennsylvania, Erie.
Philadelphia and Reading, Jersey Central
and the Lehigh Valley.
AS soon as the rate matter had been dis
posed of the commission, sitting In the
Essex court house. Newark, went into
hearing on the yexing question of rail-
way drinking cup. which the Jersey Legis-
lature recently legislated out of existence.
Practically every railroad in New Jersey
was effected and all the roads are fighting
the suggestion that individual cups OF
parafine or another like substance be sub
stituted for the outlawed common drink
ing cup at the railroads expense.
The Interstate Commission has issued |
an order by which the Pennsylvania Rail-
road Company is directed to desist from ex- |
acting Its present communication fares to
and from New York city by September 1,
and to observe this order for not less than
two years thereafter. For monthly
sixty-ride ticket between New Brunswick
and New York the Communication rate is
$12. and the Commission has ordered this
reduced to $40, and prices to and from
other points in conformity with the latter
price. In particular cases like the Erie
and other lines 1t was found the commute.
ton rates were excessive. No special or
der was issued. but 1t was suggested that
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