The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-02
REGULATION TAUGHT
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I have found ii almost uniformly,
when expressed in the presence OF
the commission, concilatiug and
willing TO abide by the results of
fair hearing. The difficulty with me
has been not go much in getting the
corporations to do what ] thought
was right as to determine In my own
mind what under all the Circum-
stances of certain cases was right.
I am fully aware that this is not
the popular view of public service cor
poratons, nor do ] wish 10 be under
stood as having discovered wings on
the shoulders of the managers there
Of. ] say that a better knowledge of
the conditions under which their bus
mess is carried on brings one to a
more Just appreciation Of some of
the difficulties under which they
labor. / know well that there are
many--very many-particulars in
which the service which they are rem
dering may be improved. as l know
we'll that there are very many par
tieulars in which the business of
every man in this room might be I'M
proved If an inquiry into it were
started by a commission armed with
power. Such a commission would be
at once met with the objection that
It's SuE BSSllpilS tSAulb tA wv Aila1A III
an outlay to carry them out, and
would be asked how It proposed to
provide the funds for the improve
ments recommended. Let us be rea
sonable as well as critical. Let us
realize that the management of one
/ thousand men on a street car line Is
/ no less difficult than thesmanagemen
OF an equal number in factory, and
that there are times when you have
to do the best you can with the ma
terlal with which You have to work.
Straight" Street More Popular.
| believe that in the past ten years
great change has come over the
minds of men who are in the manage
ment of public utilities There are
7 still s0rfe left VINO cling 10 the old
!, public be damned" idea, but they
are fast being supplanted and the up
/ to-date railway or electric light Off
+ cial stands ready to listen to any
reasonable complaint that may be
brought to his attention. and. what
Is more to the point to turn a deaf
i ear to proposals which call for alb
( horrent and forbidden methods in
their accomplishment l am not in
noCent enough to believe that all the
dark, devious and easy ways Of get
ting there have been wholly aban-
doned: but | do hold the view that
the street called Straight" is
much more poular thoroughfare than
I 1t used to be. and that the directors
and agents Of the corporations over
which we have control are walking
! it with much cleaner conscienees and
with great gain to their self-reSpect.
Risks of Investment.
/ have intimated that one great
difficulty with certain corporations is
the lack of means to carry out the
improvements to service which their
operating men admit would he advs-
able and desirable. On this point
some figures from our last annual re-
4 port may be Illuminating. Out Of rs
steam railroads reporting to the com
mission IN this State, only 81 paid any
I dividends for the current year. out
/ of 364 electric railroads. light, heat
1 and power, and gas corporations 237
[ paid no dividends In 1909 it was
237 out of Sic, SO that conditions are
| improving some; but the figures are
/ significant. They are contradictory
to the general impression that diVt-
| dends are the foundation upon which
H all public service corporations are
erected. and they have a SOLDERING eff
/ feet upon an official who starts in
with the idea Of building Rome-or
even Schenectady--in a day.
/ The consideration of them has not
swayed the nina of the commission
where conditions have become intol~
cradle or even irritating. Dut they
have al times prevented the attain
ment of ends which otherwise might
/ have been ordered
] / know that these views are not
wholly popular, and l know that in
certain quarters the idea prevails that
| n public service commissioner should
be pictured with a knot of thongs to
lash the sides of all the hated COR
porations. irrespective of their merits
kOr deserts. In my view that savors
too much of "nonnybroak Fair"
! like the expression of President Taft,
who quietly reminded his hearers on
| one occasion. as / recoIlect IT., that
the phrase "alI the people" means
| just what ii says and that "all the
/ people included also the corpora
| lions, which are made up of people
| Just as much as a municipality is.
! Even-Handed Justice.
| The public service commission is
| organized TO hand out justice as near
as it can determine 1t, both to ship
pers and to carriers. to consumers
and to producers. and IL 1t has at
! tanned some success in its work of
the last Ave wears, 1t has done so by
strict adherence to that view, and
not by spectacular brandishings of
the big stick" It has accomplish
ed more good bv getting both par
ties before IL, pointing out the strength
or weakness Of opposing views, and
then appealing 10 that sense of fair
play which Is inherent in every man,
than it ever has by display of the
tremendous powers which the law UNI
doubtedly confers upon 1t,