Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-11-23
PUBLIC UTILITIES BILL,

This measure has been declared BY
many Of the abiest lawyers In the
United States to be the most strin-
gent IN the Union. 1T has. as the
Governor says, teeth III e. II gives
the public utilities board, appointed
BY the Governor the power to inbesti-
gate upon its own motion, or upon
complaint Of any one IN writing. any
public utility grants The board an
thQlity to iix rates. to enter the prem
Uses Of any public utility, to test APP
pliances to exact safe, adequate and
proper service. to require a system OF
accounts and annual reports kept In
such form as the board may pre-
serbs; to determine whether In
|creases Of rates are reasonable, and
70 suspend the same where unjust,
with the burden Of proof to show,
that the increases are reasonable to-
lie wholly upon the public utilities.
corporation making the same. No
public utility can make any unjust
discrimination Of preferential rate.
extend It's Indebtedness. or issue
stocks or bonds payable IN more than
one year from date, without the con-.
sent Of the board; nor can Il sell.
lease or mortgage. dispose Of or en-
cdInber its property, without the APP
prevail Of the board; nor to transfer
It's stock to other companies. The
board may order and direct proper
protection at grade crossings. It may
refuse to make valid privileges or
franchises granted to any public utiIi.
~ BY any political Subdivision Of the
state, where such privileges are not
in the states interest The board
makes its own rl1les Tor hearings,
may exact any testimony, even though
II incriminate witnesses.
Failure to comply with any orderl
of the public utilities board makes
the Offenders subject to q fine Of
500 per day; and observance Of the.
orders OF the board may be enforced
by mandamus or injunction, or by
suit In equity. The misdemeanor
clause of the law Is as strong as an
eight-ply Manila rope, and when the
bill was In progress, the corporations
kept vigilance committee installed
night and day In Trenton, seeking the
elimination Of this feature. in partic-
ular; but for once their efforts were
in vain.
Law Stringent.
Under the law. any person or public
utility corporation which shall per-
form or assist in performing any act
prohibited by the law. or any public
utilities corporation which shall fail
or neglect to perform It's duties, as
required by the act, shall be guilty
of a misdemeanor.
If any provision of the law is fins
ally declared unconstitutional. no
other provision is to be affected byi
the courts decision.
Although the present lay has only /
been in force SHINE May /, 1911. sew
?eral reprehensible evils of public ser.
vice corporations have been corectedf,
and Indications are that the interestsi
of the people, as vel as those Of the
corportions, will ultimately be conser-
we'd and insured.
Here are some of the most impore
tant things which the commission has !
done A ruling has already been made /
which extends the street car transfer
privileges in Newark. where $4,000 /
people are benefited. The Adams Ex-l
press company has been compelled to
extend its delivery service free to the
Hill Crest section of Trenton, where
It had formerly extorted excessive /
charges from the residents of that To-
cality The Consolidated Gas company
has been required to reduce its rates
for gas ana electricity in sixteen COM
mnities. In Newark the Public Ser