The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-06-21
BANKS BILL
 CONDEMNED
State Business Mems AssoCia- tion Urges Senate to Stand
 by the People
Strong Resolution Passed En- dOrsing the Utility Bill Which
 Has Passed the Senate
Special to the Farmer.)


 Hartford, June 21-Despite the cun- ningly contrived efforts of certain big ] men of affairs to scare off the State Business Mems Association from fur ther endorsement of the Senate public | utility bill. the directors at meeting in Hartford yesterday afternoon went squarely on record for the bill which
 has already passed the Senate. There was a joint meeting of the directors and the legislative committee of the association, and number of Senators attended.
 An informal discussion of the merits of the Banks-Davenport draft was held.
 The dominant tone of the discussion was that it was the duty of the Gen. eral Assembly to pass an effective
 utility bin and 1t was pointed out that as between the Senate bill and the Banks amendment, the Senate bill was by far the most effective.
 Finally after full and free ex- change of opinion the joint committees adopted the following resolution. with only one dissenting voice:
 Resolved, That, the State Business Mems Association believes that the Senate should insist upon it's former action and should reject the Banks bill; and that the House should pass the minority bill as passed by the Sen ate. The State Business Mems As sociation believes that a public util ities commission should be establish ed at this session of the General As sembly with power to fix rates and prescribe service where the existing rates in service is found.< upon com plaint to be unreasonable: and that such orders should be enforcible as such and should not be mere recom- mendations in effect The power to make enforcible orders is vested in the commission proposed by the rni- nority bill; the orders provided for by the Banks bill are not enforcible as such but are mere recommendations in effect. For this reason, the State Business Mems Association prefers the minority bill. The State Business Mems Association accepts and credits the opinion of the Governor that this power to make n,a1datory orders can be constitutionally vested in com mission and that the minority bill is constitutional, whether the Governor be right or wrong, it is certain that this question of constitutionality can be decided in the last instance only by the courts. The State Business Mems Association believes that the courts should be given opportunity to decide that question, and that oppor- tunity can be given to the courts only by the passage of the minority bill. Therefore, the State Business Mems Association earnestly solicits the Sem ate to insist upon it's former action and the House of Representatives to con- cur with the Senate in the passage of the minority bill and the rejection of the Banks bill
 Resolved, That petitions be presents ed to the Senate and to the House of Representatives embodying the forego- ing resolution and petitioning for ac- tion in accordance herewith
 There were fifty representative bus mess men including half dozen Sen- ators present, and the talk which had been indulged In prior to the session to the effect that the association would refrain from advising the legis- lature which of the pending bills it was best to pass fell to the ground
 The senate tomorrow will vote again on the question and if it stands pat on its vote for an effective bill House Leader Banks will get an opportunity to help pass the minority bill as he agreed to do should the senate reject his amendment.