Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-04-10

without first giving them a fair trial
ed an ignorance or disregard of ex-
listing laws spreading the idea that
new legislation was a cureall for any
undesirable condition, while it was
often only political play, and the
enforcement of the existing laws was
utterly neglected.
Public control or regulation of pub
lie service corporations by permanent
commissions, has come and come to
stay. Control or regulation exercised
through such body has many
advantages over that exercised
through regular legislative bodies or
committees. The permanent commits
sion will be a quasi-judicial body. 1t
should be made up of members whose
duty it will be, and who will have the
desire, the time and the opportunity,
10 familiarize themselves with the
questions coming before them. 1t
should act only after thorough investi-
cation and be governed by the equit-
les of each case. 1t would in time es
tablish a course of practice and preci-
dent for the guidance of all concerned.
CONTROL NOT OPERATION.
Experience also has demonstrated
that this supervision should stop at
control and regulation and not
manage operate nor dictate what
the management or operation should be
beyond the requirements of the great |
est efficiency and economy.
Management or operation requires |
intimate knowledge and experience
which can only be gained by continu |
Gus, active and practical participation
in actual working, while control or
regulation can be intelligently exercis-
ed, after judicial hearing. by those |
who have not the knowledge or exper- |
fence to operate.
state control or regulation should |
be of such character as to encourage /
the highest possible standard in plant, |
the utmost extension of facilities. the |
highest efficiency in service, rigid t
economy in operation, and to that end /
should allow rates that will warrant /
the highest wages for the best service, |
some reward for high efficiency in /
and such certainty Of /
return on investment as will induce /
investors not only to retain their Sc
curities, but supply at all times all |
the capital needed to meet the de- |
mands of the public.
Such control and regulation can
and should stop all abuses OF capital |
ization. of extortion or of overcharges,
Of unreasonable division of profits.
STATE PROTECTION IN RETURN.
IF there is to be state control and 1
regulation, there should also be
state neutrality-suspicious. to a cor
Doration striving to serve the whole
(some part of whose ser
vice must necessarily be unproftableD
from aggressive competition which
covers only that part which is profita-
Bile.
Governmental control should pro-
ect the investor as well as the public 4
Il should ensure to the public good
service and fair rates. IL should also
ensure fair returns to the investor.
When thoroughly understood in
will be found that control will give
more OF the benefits and public adyan-
ages, which are expected to be OBJ
aimed by state ownership than could be
obtained through such ownership, and
will obtain them without the public
burden of either the public ofice-hold-
n or public debt or operating deficit.
I is conceded that as a rule private
management is better, more economi-
cal and more efficient than public
management, and much more advanc-
ID and enterprising. The economical
margin between public and private
has been shown By ex-
'erience TO be more than sufficient to