The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-01-26
PRESIDENT MELLEN'S
 COMMERCE COURT"

President Mellen of the N. r.. N. H, & H. Railroad Company has been taiking 90 long as a substitute for the proposed public utilities commission, appears in a bill laid before the Gen ersl Assembly. Tuesday
 Under its provisions. the Governor is to nominate. and the General As sembly appoint. an additional Judge of the Superior Court; the Chief Jus flee of the Supreme Court Is to desig- nate a Superior Court Judge to serve as Judge of the Commerce Court. who may exercise all of the powers of the Superior Court; the new court is to be open throughout the year. and the clerk of the Superior Court for Hart ford county is to serve as its clerk, but a temporary clerk may be ap- pointed as needed.
 The jurisdiction of the Commerce Court is defined in section which prohibits .ali acts unreasonabiy en- daneering the public health or safety; declares that all employers must adopt reasonable measures for the health ana safety of employees: asserts that all public service corporations. and aspociations. partnerships and persons who also serve the public". must rem der s'sueh proper and adequate service including the provision of reasonable facilities therefor. as shall be reason able and just and reasonably compen- satsd.. and must refrain from ex- tortionate. unjust and unreasonahle rates. charges and prices" for com modities supplied and services rem dered-
 Any one assrieved may bring actions for enforcement of the duties de- scribed: the court may make its own ru3es and regulations: employment of attorueys shall not be necessary; the court may employ experts as advisers, and may appoint sinvestigating com miftees to ascertain facts: the court uay compel the performance of duties, and may at any tiufe amend or annul its prNvioua deereeA
 Appeals to the Supreme Court may be taken on questions of law" only.
 Generally speaking. this bill merely enlarKes the bench of the Superior Court, but with the extra judge de- tailed to the Commerce Court and to- deal only with questions arising be- tween the people and the public ser vice corporations The principal function of the new court is to inter- pret the word reasonable" as applied to conditions of health and safety, provision of facilities. compensation for services. figures ef rates. and de- gree of service. Should it's decisions aggrieve any corporatien or person, appsais to the supreme Court will probably be as to the Commerce Courts interpretation of the word '.reasonahle". and it Is not difficult to foresee a lengthy list of appeals, which may continue until the court of final resort has eiven decisions upon all of the many points dependent upon the quoted word As to the nen-necessity of employing attorneys, what com plainant against a public service cor poration would, knowing that his case wilI be antaaonized before the court by high-ranked lawyers. rely exclu- sfvely upon himself? It is not diff cult to feresee the institution of new line of legal practice-attorneys who have specially qualified them- selves for practice before the Com- merce Court.
 We are strongly inclined to believe that the proposed Commerce Court would not promote the peoples inter- est. and that a public utilities commis- sion. properly constructed. would be a much better instrument for the ad justment of differences. If the ser- vices of experts were needed by a commission, whether legal or of other kinds. they could be had as easily by a commission as by a court.
 A noticeable feature of the Mellen bill Is that neither the Governor nor 1he General Assembly, nor both com bined. names the Judge of the Com merce Court. The power of appoint ment rests with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; he designates Superior Court Judge who may or may not be the additional one authorized