Evening journal., 1913-03-20
DEFENDS THE
LIGHTING BILL
Mr.. Crook Denies City Would
Lose Taxes If Act Be-
comes a Law

Richard W. Crook. manager of the
Peoples Railway Company, upon
being interviewed with reference to
the article appearing in last nights
Every Evening concerning Senate
Bill No. "a. made the following state
ment:
Eyes | saw the article dated Dover,
but my guess is that it was written
by the editor OF Every Evening in
his office in Wilmington. If the bill,
is of advantage to the Wilmington &.
Philadelphia Traction Company, don't
you think it's strange that people
closely connected with that company
are now opposing IL?
I'm granting a permit to the Will
mington City Electric Company / be-
lieve the Street and Sewer Depart
ment did impose as a condition that
they should not charge more than
the eXorbitant price of 10 cents per
kilowatt hour. BY fixing so high a
maximum the Street and Sewer De-
partment did the lighting company a
great favOr. because il practically
Q. I'D this eXorbtant price and the
company so regarded it for they
promptly began to charge this price
and have been charging it ever since.
No one would have the nerve to
charge more and beside, this maxi
mum fixed for one company would
serve as maximum for all COM
panies because competing company
could certainly get no business If Il
charged more.
81 believe, also, that as another
condition the Street and Sewer De
partment prescribed that the viii
mington City Electric Company
should pay to the city two per cent.
of its gross receipts provided the
taxes imposed by law on such COM
panies should not exceed such two
per cent, in which event the company
must pay the taxes and not the two
per cent.
AS matter OF fact the taxes al
ways will exceed the ? per cent. and
consequently the two per cent. has
never been and never will be paid ]
don't mean to say that this two per
cent. condition imposed by the Street
and Sewer Department was only a
pretense Of benefting the public, but
il clearly amounted to nothing. I'm
der this bill the Peoples Railway
Company would have to pay the same
taxes above mentioned and so if the
bill should become law the city
would get nearly $1,000 of addition
al annual revenue without any tear
Ing up of streets or other damage
or inconvenience to the city. This
bill does not deprive the Public
Utility Board of Wilmington or any
other public authority of any reg
ulatory powers they possess over
lighting companies. Nor are any
such powers abridged The street
and Sewer Department possesses no
such powers. II can only impose
conditions in connection with per-
mits for erecting poles, The regu-
latory powers are possessed by the
Public Utility Board and this includes
powers to inspect books, etc.
There is no need for provision
in the bill to make a railway company
taking advantage Of il liable for
all damages occasioned to either
persons or property The law i'm.
poses this liability. We know this
from bitter experience.
THE Street and Sewer Department
ItiAn't uAHidHQ'u HOl EOA any duQt-
tional income from the Wilmington
City Electric Company when il grant
I'd its permit, nor has It ever gotten
any from any other such company
The jealous care which Every Even.
Ing displays for the towns down
state is pathetic. It's statement IN
that connection, however. is absurd
When any railway company. having
under this bill tho RICH to distribute
current for lighting and power. goes
TO Dover, Lewes. Middletown, Milford
Newark and Smyrna for a permit "a
use the streets. those towns can inn
pose any conditions they see At. II is
10 be supposed that those towns will
be considering tho public interest
and not merely trying to prevent com
petition with their local companies
That idea of competition with a Local
company seems to be the biggest fly
IN Every Evenings ointment anyway
So when. under this bill. the Peoples
Railway Company wants to erect
poles to suspend light wires on
streets where its tracks are not laid
u must get a permit from the Street
and Sewer Department, which car
then impose any conditions 1t sees At
As to existing poles on streets where