Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-22

| ing plant in q small village might ne
! cessarily be obliged to charge higher
rates than an electric company that
supplies the city of Portland. I think
we need have no fear whatever when
any public service corpora ton, even
though il be a municipality finds itself
IN position to give lower rates to the
public. that the commission VIII re
quire 1t TO charge more; that would be
an absurdlty.
Mr.. EATON: As / understand II,
tie reason for offering this amend
ment was to allow those muniei)ali-
ties that have the low water rate TO
maintain that rate as at present, and
| believe they should be allowed To do
so.
Mr.. SANBORN: / want to assure
the gentleman from oxford, Mr..
Eaton, and every other member of the
committee that there IS certainly. 80
far as any of us are aware nothing in
this bill that will prevent any public
service corporation or municipality
from providing this service at just as
low a rate as it possibly can.
The question being on the motion TO
reject amendment ~,
viva voce vote being taken,
The motion was agreed to, and
amendment u was rejected.
The CHAIRMAN: The Chair next
lays before the committee amendment
b to Section 10, being House Docu-
ment No. sci.
Mr.. WHEELER of Paris: MIR. Chair
man, Amendment "B" is House Docu-
ment No. 5el. and it relates to Section
10 of the bill-practically the last sem
tence of that section. The last section
is follows THE rates. tolls and
charges shown on the schedules first. to
be filed shall not exceed the rates. tolls
and charges which were in force on jan
uary first, nineteen hundred and thr-
teen" | suppose the gentlemen of the
committee will notice. without any
lengthy examination of that, what the
committee had in mind. This section, az
it is presented in the bill is not Sec
ton that was contained in either one OF
the original drafts. 1t was suggested TO
us, and We agreed with the suggestion
that it might be well to place an early
limit on that section SO there would be
no necessity for a utility company to
make an artificial increase in its rates
between this time and the time the bill
actually takes effect. In our zeal to re-
move temptation from the path of the
public utilities we went a little too far.
and we are expecting now that an
amendment will be accepted to straighten
out this matter. Your committee has
considered the amendment and will now
offer a substitute for the pending amend
ment, and l will explain that substitute
is as follows: add to that sentence EEK
eept that the rates, tolls and charges of
utilities under the jurisdiction of the In
terstate Commerce Commission shown
on the schedules first to be filed shall be
the rates, tolls and charges in force
when this act goes into full effect" or
course it is evident to everybody now.
that we suggest it, that we do not want
to place anything in that section, or any
other section, that shall be In conflict
with the rules and regulations of the In
terstate Commerce Commission. and
such utilities as are already controlled
by the Interstate Commerce Commission
should not. of course, be interfered with
we should not attempt to interfere with
them by the erroneous provision in Sec
ton 10; the provision would make con-
siderable inconvenience II not, In fact,
conflict of authority; and SO. Mr.,
Chairman, l move you that this commit
tee adopt the amendment which l hold
in my hand as substitute for the pend
ing amendment-that House Amendment
81 be amended by substituting what /
have already read. | move the adoption
of this substitute
The CHAIRMAN; 1t is moved and
seconded that House Amendment 'B"
be amended by substituting therefor
the following. Amend Section 10 of
Senate Bill No. 453 by adding at the
end of said section the words Eek
cept that the rates, tolls and charges
of utilities under the jurisdiction of
the Interstate Commerce Commission
shown on the schedule first to be filed
shall be the rates, tolls and charges
in force when this act goes into full
effect. The question is on the adop-
ton of this amendment to amendment
b"
A viva voce vote being taken,
The motion was agreed to, and the
amendment to amendment "B" was
adopted.
moved that the committee adopt
ID, DIS dHleDutu.
The motion was agreed to, and
amendment b" as amended, was
adopted
The CHAIRMAN: The Chair next
lays before the committee amendment
l., being House Document No. 571.
Mr.. AUSTIN of Phillips: Mr. Chair
man, | rise TO move the rejection OF
L." The subject matter
of this amendment is covered by the
Just adopted at the sug-
gestion of the gentleman from Paris,
Mr.. Wheeler
The question being on the rejection
of amendment L."
A viva Voce vote being taken,
The motion was agreed to. and
L" was rejected.
The CHAIRMAN: The Chair next
lays before the committee amendment
G. to Section 81, being House Docu-
ment No. $50.
Mr.. SMITH of Patten: Mr.. Chair
man, Section q which is sought to be
amended by House Amendment &c" is