The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-01-01

flIIll, Men,, Jan. IT, HOW WIS
consin has Prospered Under its Pro
gressiye Administrations was tn,
subject Of an address by Senator La
Toilette in this city. The speake
said that progressive legislation il
| Wisconsin has not been destructive. a,
its enemies predicted. Instead,
said he, 'of driving capital dut OF
the state. it has attracted capita
more than other states. 1t has made
Investments safe for all, instead OF
speculative for few. 1t has been
conservative and constructive as
well as progressive. Not one of
these progressive laws has been
overturned by the supreme court of
the state and NOT one has been car.
ried into the federal courts.
Continuing, Senator LaFollette said
"rhe general business conditions in
Wisconsin conclusively show that in.
stead of being retarded by progress
siye legislation, Wisconsin has ad.
yanced financially and commercially
more rapidly than the county taken
as a whole.
Judged by commercial failures,
Wisconsin has pro>pered better than
the entire country.
During ten years of progressive
legislation, the expenses of the state
have increased, but the burden of
taxes upon the people has decreased.
The property OF the state is pay.
ing u per cent less taxes in proper
ton to its value than II did ten
years ago
Gong into details of the results ac.
the speaker said: "Hav-
ing brought the steam railroads of
/under state control. we
proceeded to extend the control of
the Railroad Commission over all
the other public utilities in the COM
For the year 1910, com.
pared with 1909, Notwithstanding re-
ductions in rates and Improvement
in services, the water utilities inceras-
ed their net earnings l0.5 per cent;
the telephone utilities 5S per cent.
the gas utilities ~ per cent: and
electric utilities 27.j per cent. These
have even exceeded the rail.
roads in the rate at which they have
made cash investments in new con-
structon.
while the increase in railroad
has = averaged % per
cent a year for six years, the water
utilities in 1910, increased their
new construction of property per
cent over 1909: the telephone utili.
les 40 per cent; the gas utilities
l6 per cent and electric utilities
}j.5 per cent. Wisconsin certainly
IS not driving capital o,t of the
state when the electric utilities IN
he single year of 1910, after two
ears of regulation by the state.
made bona fide new investments Of
- rcr cent greater than 1909.
"All of this remarkable develop
nent has gone steadily forward not
the railroad commission
las reduced the rates charged in the
tate by public utilities $25O,0O0 a |
ear, and has required Improvements -
n the quality of the service costing !.
hese public utilities $l25.O00 a year, I.
total saving to the consumer of
,as. water and electricity Of $4,000 .
year And this is but the beginning. I
"a single example will show the F.
Methods and results attained by the 1
ommission in its control of public .
Utilities. In April. 1910. following
wo years of careful investigation, /
he railroad commission, after i'm
'roving the quality of service. r..
Iuced the maximum price of electric
ty in the city of Madison from six
cen to fourteen cents per kilowat
lour, and adjusted the other rates
IN a lower basis. The result was
hat the sales of electricity incre1s-
ID its investment % per cent; ami
he savings to the consumers. COR
,aring the new rates with the Old
ates, was $1S,30S year.
I'm July, 1911 fifteen months later
Ifter such an increase in profits fol-
owing the reduction of rates. the
company accepted without protest
mother reduction to twelve cents: |
his made reduction from sixteen I
o twelve cents per lilowat hour, or T.
/ reduction of twenty-five per Ceri |