Carson City daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1907-1930, 1913-08-28
What Democracy
Did for Nevada

WITHIN the past few months the
people of Nevada have begun to real
ize what the Railway Commission is
doing for the public generally in its
work in relation to the c%arious cor
| porations which furnish water for the
public.
For many years past there never
was any attempt to regulate the wat
err companies OF Nevada. The con-
sumner was obliged to accept the rates
laid down by the corporation and if
he made any protest his water was
turned off and he simply had to go
without waite until he settled up.
No one ever dreamed that there
was such a thing as a legal remedy
or that a consumer had any rights
hat a corporation was bound to re-
spect.
But a Democratic Legislature pass
ed a bill in the interest of the general
public, and a Democratic Governor
appointed a Railroad Commission TO
carry out the provisions Of the law
and the Commission has gradually
become a Public Service Commission
dealing with questions which affect
the differences which arise between
a public corporation and its patrons.
The critics. who at first said that ii
was merely a scheme to give out fat
Jobs to partisanS, have come to ar
knowledge that the Commission 5
doing even better than its most san
guine advocates claimed it would.
1t has begun to investigate the kind
of service the corporations are Civ
ing their patrons and the amount Of
money that they are making on their
investments and insisting that there
should be only a reasonable charge
for service and that the service
should be properly maintained.
Where a corporation has been found
making an unreasonable profit on IFS
investment the Commission has COM
PEELED a reduction Of rates charged
and where the service is inadequate
it has been ordered improved.
The first notable case was the deal
! ings of the Commission with the To-
nopah Water Company. 1t found
that the charges were exorbitant and
compelled a reduction. The COM
pany was charging $S.75 for 1000 gal
Ions Of water, and the Commission
reduced the rate to $3.25 per 1000
gallons. 1t ordered a similar reduc-
ton on all water delivered to con-
} sumers, gradually reducing the scale
as the amoun diverted increased.
! and fixed $3.50 per thousand where
! the amount was $4,000 gallons or
over. 1t did not disturb the rates
being paid by the mines and mills.
as those were considered reasonable.
The water company went into the
Federal Court and asked for a tenn
porary injunction pending a hearing
of the case, and judge Morrow, Of
Dan IldllllSCo, 10 WIlOIIl tile case WAS
submitted, decided in favor of the
Commission without leaving the
bench. He summed up the arguments
and found tina 1.-THE water compan,
had presented no evidence to refute
the showing made b ythe Commission
that their long-established rates had
been %exorbitant and giving them too
great a financial return on the capital
invested. The company obeyed the
order and is still realizing an excel
lent profit on their investment.
More recently is the work of the
Commission in Austin. 1t issued an
order for the water company to give
the town of Austin a better servie
and more adequate protection against
fire.