The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-06-30

BlankenburE of their interest and will tngness to co-operate in this work, and will attend the first convention held under the auspices of the Board in Philadelphia this fall.
 The organization of such Board said the mayor in an interview on the subject. grew out of our own needs and difacu1ties in preparing our case for the hearing on public and private lighting, to take place this autumn, when we hope to get some relief from the present exorbitant rates for electricity.
 The idea was directly suggested by the very efficient associations for the exchange of experience. information and resources to which the public utiI- ties companies belong. We want to provide an organization for our cities that will do for the people all over the. United States what those associations are doing for the public utility cor porations.
 .'We believe most heartily in the principle of regulation through Pub lie Service Commissions, and we want to co-op crate with the Commissions by hearings as effectively as the corpo- ration side has been presented in the past, so that these Commissions will not be placed in the rather unfair po- sition of having to Judge a situati on where only one side is adequately pre- sented.
 "A permanent Board of citizens isl being organized to gather and to pre- pare information for the proper ade-s quate presentation of the interests of the city and consumer before all hear ings at which questions of rate and are involved.
 we hope and expect that through Public Service Commi issfons the prob lems now rising in regard to public utilities are going to be adjusted to the satisfaction of all concerned. The sooner the peoples side of the ques- ton is adequately and fairly repre- scented before these mmissions, the sooner they will come to some final and permanent standard of decisions.''
 The mayor emphasized the fact that this will be purely non-partisan and nom ism" organization It will condne itself to conservative effort toward the fair adjustment Of all publt lie utility rates and services, beginning with electricity and reaching out to all the other branches of the public utilities. Neither will it be allied with any political party or groups of off, cia1s.
 ssWe believe" continued the mayor, 'that, as the Public Utility Service is a matter concerning the people, this bureau Of public utilities research should be purely a peoples institution, with no leading strings of any kind att tached to 1t It will be at the service of all citizens and mayors and city off, c4als everywhere, who are taking up the question Of rate and service regu- la;tion and want help in regard to it.. It will serve as a clearing house of in- formation and experience, and of course, the more it is used, the more it's value will increase.
 However much people may be in terested in a general way in city gov ernment, the results and the degree of efaciency of the various depart ments do not come home to them very viEidly, except to individuals with some concrete personal interests. Even the tax rate is of interest only to those who have property to be taxed. But the service rendered and the rate l charged for gas, electricity, water and street ears reaches and affects every single individual in the entire city, and ] 1t affects with special force those of moderate incomes. It therefore be- comes the moral and political duty of every official in every community to see to it that the public interest in these Public Utility matters is most effectively presented.
 ssIt is only since the establishment of reguIative Commissions that this duty has devoIved upon the public of 1 fciaIs, and I feel that we have been slow in recognizing this responsibility l and responding to it. But now, feel l a be lost in taking action, because most
 of the Public Service Commissions are yet new, in some states they do not yet exist Those eatablished have shown the greatest consi iteration of both sides. They, have been very con servative in their decisions, and. as a rule have not committed themselves
 unequivocably to any definite policies.
 This shows that they realize the difh-
 culty of the problem before them, and
 that, before establishing precedents and customs, they are holding them
 selves open for every possible avenue l of information which might justly in- huence their decisions.
 No officers have yet been elected.
 nor have the details of the organiza7 tion been worked out. The mayor
 says that letters have been mailed to
 all the principal cities of the country
 and that every city heard from so far has given enthusiastic support to the