Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-01-02
UTILITIES BOARD
FAv0RS ACTION ON
GRADE CROSSINGS
Would Cause Division OF Cost
Between State, Municipali-
ties and Railroads.
Especial to the Newark start

= lopeCidi = "a oNoAsJ
TRENT il +. 2.-The Public Jtil-
ity Commissioners today submitted
their annual report to Governor Will
son. The report. except for that part
dealing with the question of grade
crol .ngs. Is almost exclusively a re-
view of the work done BIZ the commits
sion tina has been published from time
to time.
The elimination of grade crossings is
conceded l.. the report to be a matter
of pr. ,e Importance, due to the states
growing population. 1t is stated that
during the year ending December !,
1911, there were twenty-three persons
killed and seventy-nine injured at grade
CROSSINGS in New Jersey. The problem
of eliminating grade crossings, the re-
port says, is "on that cannot be sue
cessfully attacked in a desultory or
hap-hazard way. Not only must a
census of existing grade crossings be
made, but even of more Importance Is
a classification of crossings with re-
spect to the relative hazard which they
create"
As to the cost of eliminating grade
crossings the report says: 1T Is moi
the province of the board to insist
upon any particular plan of grade
eros ing e.. .ination, but it is not
deemed improper to suggest that in
planning for UGH elimination the law
should provide for IN equitable division
of the cost between the Companies, the
State and-the municipalities"
Further discussing this phase of the
puEp tho raEnrt SaVS that fpWar grads
crossings lessons damage costs and
permits greater speed. another ad-
vantage for the railroads. 1t is argued,
however, hat to place the entire cost
upon the railroads would mean a great
increase in capitalization, which would
require more earnings, and that in the
final analysis a part of the charge
must be borne by the public. 1t Is
still further stated that the elimina-
ton of all crossings must necessarily
be the work of years, and with a law
placing all the cost upon the railroads
would result In dissatisfaction upon
the part of those communities that
would have to wait for their relief
until other municipalities a first had
their grade crossings done away with.
To put q 2art of the cost, even though
it be small, it is commended, would con-
centrate public attention on efforts for
the elimination of crossings where the
danger was greatest and thus lead to
more practical results.
The report contains several recon-
mendations for amendment to the ex-
listing public utility laws. One is that
public utilities which hereafter dispose
of bonds for less than their face value
be required to make up this discount
out of their earnings SO that the public
shall not be required to provide earn
ings to pay dividends on values that
never existed.
A second recommendation is that
the present power to compel railroads
to maintain reasonable connections be
extended to include other public utility
corporations, to the end that there
ms be prevented wasteful duplication
of lines, as for instance of telephone
lines.
The third recommendation is that
there be established for all new cor
porations an in~determinate franchise
to continue in existence as long as the
corporation conforms to the laws of the
State or the orders of the public utility
commission, but with the further pro-
viso that the corporations be entitled
to a fair return on the value of their
property Exclusive Of franchise valued.
while operating the same. and that
they be entitled to a fair price If the
property be purchased by the State or
q municipality.
In the review of the years work the
commissioners in their report tell of
the Communication ticket matter which
is now In h courts, of the fixing of a
standard of equality and service for
gas, and of the fact that investigations
are pending which a for their ulti-
mate object the fixing Of rates for cleo
tricity, gas n telephones.
The Newark trolley transfer situa-
ton is also discussed, and it is men
toned that the Supreme Court on GER
tiorari upheld the commissions order
requiring h Public Service Railway
in Newark to issue transfers to passen-
gers at all intersecting points neces-
sary, even though a r~etransfer is re-
CURED to bring the passenger to his
ultimate destination.