The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1913-06-12
FINGER ON PULSE
House Committee Trying to Sc
cure Diagnosis
AS TO EXTRA SESSION
Minette, Back from Madison, Talks
for Publication about Public
Utilities Proposition

11Ol. OLA e. MliicCtc IoUuIueO
Sunday noon from Madison, Wis.
whittier, as a member of the House
committee of the Minnesota legisla-
ture, he went with others to investi-
gate the Wisconsin law relative to
the control of public utilities. Each
house has a committee appointed for
the purpose of investigation and it
was supposed that the two committees
would act in conjunction, but such
was not the case. The House COM
mittee went ahead on it's own initia-
tive and whatever conclusion it
reaches will be reached independently,
and any action it may take relative
to the matter will be taken without
consulting with the senate committee.
Shortly after his return from Madi-
son, Mr., Minette granted The Herald
an interview and talked freely and at
length relative to the matter. Mr..
Minette said the committee was
warmly welcomed in the Badger state
capital and was shown every possible
courtesy while there. The committees
investigations into the workings of
the Wisconsin statewide public utili-
ties law, Mr.. Mineste said, were ex-
haustive and quite satisfactory. The
committee was favorably impressed
with what it saw and learned and is
now in a position to act far more in
telligently than before the trip was
made.
According to Mr.. Minette, the COM
mittee is extremely anxious to sound
the sentiment throughout the state
relative to special session Of the leg
islature, inasmuch as the governor
has stated he intends to call one for
the express purpose Of securing the
enactment of state wide public
utilities law. With this end in view,
said the representative from this dis
trict, the secretary of the House COM
mittee has been instructed to send
out 1000 circular letters containing
questions relating to the public utili-
ties proposition and to the proposed
extra session. These letters will be
sent to newspaper men and public Of
ficials in cities, villages and towns.
When the replies are elaborated the
committee will be in position to
act more inteIligently.
Mr.. Minette himself thinks little
harm will be done if no action on a
public utilities enactment is taken un-
til the regular session. Mr.. Minette
makes this statement, however with a
proviso, and that is the matter of
telephone connections. He affirms
that he finds a strong sentiment
throughout the state for better long
distance telephone service, especially
in localities where there are good far
mer's lines, but with which the big
companies will not connect, so he
says.
Mr.. Minette also stated that the
House committee favors a plan of
having the Board of Railway and
Warehouse Commissioners appoint
board of capable persons whose duty
it shall be to make physical valua-
ton of all public uti lities in the state,
such as railroads, telephone and tele-
graph lines, etc.
The committee is not likely to meet
again for several weeks. w. L. Nolan,
the chairman, is off on two months
Chautauqua engagement. Mr.. Min
nett leaves the latter part of this
week on trip of six weeks or two
months to Prussia whittier he goes to
investigate the report that he has a
possible fortune in an iron mine.
Meantime, the secretary of the COM
mitee will be busy obtaining and col
laborating information from all over
the state relative to the public utili-
ties matter and the feeling relative to
an extra session of the legislature.