Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-08-29

great metropolitan cities, to cOntToi 1
the services and charges of the utili- !
ties within their corporate limits. This |
contention, however, is opposed by |
some Of the best informed and most 4
widely read political economists OF the I
day.
Interstate Commerce Commissioner
B. II. Meyer in an able paper read by
him on Dec. 6, 1912, before the Mime
sofa Academy of Arts and Sciences
vigorously opposes this contention. In
this paper ne declares. "A distinction
must be drawn between the small
cities and the large centers of popula-
ton, such as New York, Chica go and
ST Louis"% ITO vest the con-
troll of utilities in the hands of local
municipal commissions generally
means diversity in treatment, waste
fulness, inefficiency and insecurity"
THE small city cannot af-
ford to establish laboratories and to
employ thoroughly trained men to con-
duct the necessary work in them. They
cannot command the expert knowledge
and skill without which regulation
must be a mere 'pretense" :
with the exception of the large cen
tiers of population, which may advan-
tageously have commission of their
own, ! do not believe that the Ques-
/ ton of local or central commissions is
I fairly a debatable one. An attempt TO
regulate public utilities through local
commissions means the election or ap-
/ pointment of many different individ-
uals in every state. 1t Is inconceivable
that IL should be possible to find men
enough in all these cities and villages
able and willing to undertake the
work" VERY few cities in
any of our states can afford to estab-
lish and maintain properly equipped
laboratories, make expensive Stats
teal compilations bearing upon every
branch of service, organize and main
tain stats of men skilled along the
various lines of engineering, statistics,
etc" THE number of men
available for this class of work is lin
tied in every commonwealth"
"A state utilities commission can, and
should, place at the disposal of every
community in that state all the infor-
commands. 1t can not only inspect
and regulate service and prescribe
rates to be charged for this service,
but 1t can be an active agent in the
diffusion of knowledge, which will in
sist upon better service at reasonable
rates, and which will place a check
upon unreasonable demands and I'M
reasonable opposition and hostility
The central commission can act as a
clearing house of information" =
The central commission has a direct
tendency to purify local politics. In
a word. the central commission means
uniformity. efficiency, economy, free
dom from politics, improved service,
improved business conduct. universal
. publicity, reasonable rates"
DR.. Clyde L. King of the University
of Pennsylvania, recognized political
economist of standing is also of the
same view. In his work on the Reg
ulation of Municipal Utilities" pub
lished in 1912, he declares, "As the
more difficult problems of utility reg.
ulation are statewide problems, they
can be adequately COPIED with only, by
p state commissions. The third element
essential to constructive policy
therefore, is that there must be in all
states with a considerable urban pop
ulation state public service commits
sion" 1.-THE best interests
of the state, OF the cities which do not
care for the added expense of special
commissions, and of the great urbar
centers will all be best subseryed un
/ der state commission with statewide
powers with subordinate city commits
sions in each of the largest cities
In the same work on page 256, Pro
fessor King declares, For the fol
> lowing reasons the author is con
WINGED that a state commission is es
sential whether or not separate mu
Eicipal commissions exist" In The
first place. only a state commission
. can secure all the data essential to in
: telligent regulation. Relatively small
cities will not go to the expense of Sc
= surfing even partial information, anC
. hence their only reliance must he upoI
!. state commissions" "Dupli
. cations of laboratory equipment i
p avoided through the creation o. a sin
4 gle safe commission. Only a stat
r commission can secure the require,
n data because of the extensive INTERIOR
Q porate relations CT municipal utilities
g Interurban street railways now tray
e erse considerable portions of almos
every state in the union. Municipal
! water concerns have alliances Of al
n kinds with other industrial concern
e in the state. So also do electric. ga
g and sewer companies" 81
e Is clear tina. a municipality with onl