Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-04-14
new UTILITIES
BILL PROVIDES
WANTED Teeth
Compromise Measure Drafted
by the Governor and Pending
in Both Houses Now

j.. ..#.- 2
Drafted by Governor Frear and =
n introduced in the house last Sat
. urday by Representative Sheldon z
for the judiciary committee, a Z
new public utilities bill and one z
largely agreed to in principle al
= ready by solons and business
men, has made its appearance.
< A similar measure is to be in x
< troduced in the senate today. z
z The bill takes middle ground q
= between the Baldwin bill and the z
Rice and Metzger bills. Amend 2
ments to be introduced will give q
the proposed commission juris- Z
q diction over rates, regulations, 2
etc, of public utilities companies q
insofar as it is not prevented by q
Z the constitution or laws Of the Z
y United States. %
= q u g q z = q q q = z q z 2 q
Once more the pen of the governor
promises to bring harmony out of dis
cord, and to aetuate the creation OF
a public utility commission, which
was feared would not be possible for
the present legislature. With the
solons divided between the Baldwin
bill, which has been termed the
"toothless one," and the Rice bill,
which has many teeth, the governor
has drafted a compromise measure,
ard the special committee of the SEN
ate fayorably passed on it late Sat
urday afternoon.
This measure was introduced in
the house Saturday by Representative
Sheldon, acting for the judiciary COM
mittee of the lower house, and was
brought to the attention of the spec
ial committee of the senate in the af-
ernoon OF that day, when the senate
committee met to discuss on s. B.
Nos. 3 and 4, and the 'stoothless one"
introduced by Senator Baldwin.
During long argument, when the
entire problem of public utility regu-
lation came up. the committee work
ed over the bills, assisted during
most Of the meeting by l.. A. Thurs
ton, who appeared to oppose several
sections m the Rice bill. which had
been adopted as the basis of con-
sideration by the senate and which
had passed second reading.
Governors Bill Amended
As q final result of the meeting.
which did not end until the sun was
out of signl, the committee agreed
to endorse the one by the governor,
with the addition of several amend
ments, by way of teeth" to NE end
power to regulate the operations of
utility companies, and to effectually
carry out is recommendations
With this decision of the committee
an exceedingly important bridge has
bee crossed, and ii was freely admit
ted by the committee, composed of
Senators Rice, Metzger and Judd, and
also by Mr.. Thurston, that an agree
ment on such bill will make it pos
sible for commission to be created
by the present legislature, whereas a
latiye discord, with no bill to pro-
vide for the supervision of the acts
of utility companies on the statute
books.
After Mr.. Thurston had presented
his arguments against the recitals in
the Rice bill relating to bond and
stock issues and the building of spur
tracks, both of which sections he
said were unfair to railroad CON-
panies, Senator Judd informed the
committee that new bill had been
written, within which was incorpor-
ated the meritorious provisions in the
Baldwin bill, and a number of the
teeth" of the Rice and Metzger bills.
Continued on mage eight j