The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-01-24
MELLEN'S BILL FOR A COURT
 OF COMMERCE


 OF COMMERCE
 The following is the bill to estab- fish commerce court as proposed by c. S. Mellen, president of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Rail- road company:
 AN ACT ESTABLISHING
 A COMMERCE COURT
 Section i. That court is hereby established. which shall be known as the Commerce Court with the powers and Jurisdiction hereinafter defined. It shall be a court of record. and shall have a seal of such form and style as the court shall prescribe.
 Section 2. The Governor shall nom- mate and the General Assembly ap- point an additional judge of the Su- perior Court. whose term of office shall commence on the first day of to the first day of September, the Chief Justice shall designate a judge of the Superior Court to be judge of the Commerce Court for the year be- ginning on said first day of Septem- Der: When not occupied with tn the
 
 judge thus designated shall perform such other duties as judge of the Su- perfor Court as shall be assigned to him from time to time by the Chief Justice. In case of the absence. 1M- ness or other disqualification of the Court. the Chief Justice may assign any other judge of the Superior Court to act in his place. and may termin- ate such assignment when the exig- ence therefor shall cease. If the bus mess of the Commerce Court shall at the Chief Justice may appoint any other judge of the Superior Court to hold sessions of the Commerce Court for the transaction of any business of that court designated by the reg ular judge thereof.
 Section 3. In all cases within its jurisdiction. the Commerce Court and any judge assigned thereto shall re- spectively have and may exercise any and all of the powers of the Super for Court and of the judges of said court respectively. so far as the same may be proper to the effective exer- else of its Jurisdiction.
 shall be open throughout the year. The sessions of said court may be held at such time and places as shall from time to time be determined by the judge holding such sessions. The clerk of the Superior Court for Hart ford county shall be the clerk of said court. Any judge holding a session of said court may. if he deems it nec- essary, appoint and discharge a tenn porary clerk of said court. The judge of said court shall from time to time certify to the Comptroller the amount payable for the services of such a temporary clerk. and the Comptroller shall draw his order in favor of such temporary clerk for the sum so speci- fled.
 Section 5. It shall be the duty of all persons to abstain from all acts health or safety. It shall be the duty of all employers to adopt reasonable measures to prevent injuries from the conditions of their employment to the health and safety of their employees. It shall be the duty of all railroad electric light companies. gas compan- ies, water companies. telegraph com panies. telephone companies, and ex- press companies. and all other corpor- ations. associations. partnerships and persons. who also serve the public. to render to the. public. such proper and adequate service. including the provts- ion of reasonable facilities therefor, as shall be reasonable and just and req asonably compensated under the then existing conditions that shall actually exist: and 1t shall be the public to refrain from extortionate, unjust and unreasonable rates, charges and prices for the commodi- ties supplied and services rendered to the public.
 Section 6. The Commerce Court shall have Jurisdiction over actions which anyone aggrieved may bring either in his own behalf or in behalf of himself and others similarly sit uated. alleging violation by any per- son within the Jurisdiction of the court of duty declared or imposed by the provisions of the foregoing section. and asking for the enforcement of the performance of said duty in the fu- ture. The laws of this State regu- lating civil procedure and the rules of evidence shall not be binding upon said court. but said court shall have power to make and from time to time to amend rules and regulations con- of actions in said court. These rules and regulations shall be such as not to require the employment of an at torney for the commencement or con- duct of any action in said court. and shall be such as to promote as speedy consistent with the administration of justice Said court shall have power at all times to employ. at the expense of the State. dfsinterested expert or experts to be associated with the pre- siding judge as his adviser in the trial of any issues of fact to be de- termined by the court. Said court may appoint any disinterested person or persons a committee to investigate and report to the court in writing any facts which the court may deem important for the correct of any issues of fact to be determined by said court. If in any case the Commerce Court. aft CT hearing all necessary and proper parties to the action. shall determine that a party to such action is not performing a duty declared or inn posed by the preceding section of this Act said court may make such judgment. order or decree as shall be proper and adapted to secure the future performance of such duty by such party. and may, if it shall find that any definite conduct is either strictly necessary or necessary mini mum to constitute performance of such duty. enjoin upon such party to said action owing said duty the per- formance of such conduct. either ab- solutely or as minimum standard of duty as the case may be. Any x~I1 4f hn