Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1911-04-27
NO MORE FREE
TROLLEY RIDES
Public Service Will Comply
Strictly With New State
Public Utilities Act.
ONLY PERMITS EMPLOYEES
Bars Police, Firemen and
Pass HeIders--WiII Be Put
in Effect Monday.

Under the Public Utilities Act
passed in the closing hours of the
legislature all passes issued by Pub
lie Service Railway except those in
the hands of its officers and employees
or the officers and employees of other
common carriers will become null
and void on May l. The new law
makes 1t misdemeanor for the COM
pany to carry free other persons
than those referred to above. The
prohibition applies even to police
men and firemen on duty whether in
uniform or not.
In the public utilities law of 1910
which the Osborne-Egan act, So
called, supercedes, there is clause
which prohibits utility companies
from giving, granting or bestowing
upon any local, municipal or county
official any gratuity or free service
whatsoever, which clause concludes
with these words: "but nothing
herein contained shall prevent the
free transportation of uniformed
public officers while engaged in the
performance of their public duties"
Details of Act.
In both the Osborne and Egan
bills as introduced, the language
quoted above was not included in
subdivision of section 18. These
two bills were made the groundwork
of the conference committees report
and the only change made in the
clause referred to was the addition
of the words upon exhibiting his
authority SO to do" In the law as
passed subdivision of the Osborne
Egan bill is made subdivision "g''
and reads as follows: "(No public
utility as herein defined shall) "g'
Hereafter give, grant or bestow upon
any local municipal or county official
any discrimination, gratuity or free
service whatsoever, but nothing here
in contained shall prevent the entry
into any public conveyance, or in or
upon the property of any such public
utility as herein defined, of any such
official in the pursuit of his public
duties in connection with the partic-
ular conveyance or property so enter
ed by him upon exhibiting his au-
thority so to do"
Bars City Officials.
While subdivision "g' section 18
specifically prohibits the company
from according free transportation
to local. municipal or county officials,
subdivision "d'' of the same section
goes even farther. 1t reads in part:
mo public utility as herein defined
shall make or give, directly or indi-
rectly, any undue or unreasonable
preference or advantage to any per-
son or corporation or to any locality,
or to any particular description Of
traffic In any respect whatsoever. ="
The language of this clause is held
tn hn 60 hot tc
sions not modified by section Al of
the act it would prohibit the COM
pany from carrying it's own employees
free.
Can Carry Employees.
Section IL reads like this:
Nothing In this act shall be con-
steam railroad, street railway, trac-
ton, canal, express, telephone or
telegraph companies, or other COM
mon carriers, of free passes or franks
to their employees, officers, agents,
surgeons, physicians, attorneys at
law and their families, and the inter-
change between said public utilities
and common carriers Of passes or
franks for their employees, officers,
agents, surgeons, physicians, attor-
neys at law and their families
Affects Police and Firemen.
The company has been advised by
counsel that it would be violation
of subdivisions "d' and "g'' of the
eighteenth section of the act to con-
tinue to carry without compensation
policemen, firemen or other persons
not covered by the exceptions in sub
division "g'' and section Al and In
compliance with the mandate of the
law free transportation heretofore
accorded to the classes referred to
will be withdrawn beginning next
Monday.
Any disobedience of the provisions
of the act is made a criminal offense
and sections "a, 35 and 36 provide
for the punishment of offenders by
fine or imprisonment or both, VIOLA
tions of the law being made misde-
meanorS.