Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-01-17
PASS HEARING To
Be NOTABLE EVENT
Representatives Of Railroad Mems
and Other Organizations
Are Coming Here
TWO RAILROADS HEARD FROM
They Want a Chance to Make
Statements About Their Po-
sition on Passes q

Two railroad companies, one OF the
brotherhoods and railroad men of
various sections, clergymen and hos
pital and charitable associations have
arranged with the Public Service Com
mission to be represented at the hear
ing on the relation of the public SER
vice company law to passes on rail-
roads, free transportation for police
men and flremen, free water or cur
rent to religious and charitable insti-
tutions. clerical rates on railroads and
other questions. The hearing is to be
held in the Capitol next Tuesday and
it is expected that it will be one OF
the largest ever held. Over a score of
questions have been raised for deter
mination by the commission and nu-
merous letters asking for rulings have
been received.
The Lehigh Valley and Western
Maryland Railroad Companies have
notified the commission of intention
to be represented at the hearing when
the question of validity of contracts
with men for transportation for fami-
lies as q reward of merit for certain
lengths of service without unfavorable
reports will be brought up. The
Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen
has engaged Senator e. e. Beidleman,
OF this city, to speak for them and
the railroad men of the Pittsburgh
district have asked Speaker George
E. Alter to present their case. 1t is
probable that attorneys representing
railroad men of Philadelphia. Scran-
ton and Reading will also attend.
1t is not the intention of the COM
mission to limit the hearing and the
two or three protests filed by indi-
viduals against the issuance of passes
to families of railroad men will be
heard as we'll as the advocates of free
service.
On January 21 the hearing in the
physical valuation of Bell Telephone
Company properties in the proposed
rate schedule will be resumed.
Henry c. Dyer, 316 North Nine
teenth street, Philadelphia, has filed
with the commission a protest against
the granting of free passes to any
other than the actual employees of the
railroads. He says that the employees
of other public service companies
have as much right and reason to
receive for their families the service
they help to produce. The trolleymen
should. with equal justice, receive free
transportation for their families; the
electric light men, free electric light;
a man in the gas works, free gas, and
so on through the whole list.
j. J. Brooks, general counsel of the
Pennsylvania Lines West, in writing
to the commission concerning the
pass question, says that he has given
considerable reflection to the subject,
and, while he comedies that there is a
good deal of complication about it and
uncertainty as to the best course to
pursue. he is inclined to the opinion
that 1t is something to be disposed of
with better reason and propriety by
the Legislature than by the commits
sion or the courts.
The Ironton Railroad Company OBJ
jects to the order of the commission
regarding drinking water in passenger
cars, on the ground that the longest
time that any passenger has been on
one of its trains Is thirty minutes.
The Citizens Electric Illuminating
Company, of Pittston, which furnishes
electric light in the borough of Ex-
eter, has filed protest with the Public
Service Commi,si against the ap-
proval of contract between the bor-
ough and the Consumers Electric
Company for similar service on the
ground that there has never been any
complaint as to the sufflciency of the
service now being furnished, nor as
to the reasonableness of the rates
charged therefor. The matter will be
heard by the commission on Tuesday
next.