Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-04-01
JUDGE WILDER
FORMALLY ASKS
FOR BIG JOB
Continued from page one)

and the transmission of messages,
with proper regard to the inter
ests OF both the people and the
corporations.
None Of the utility bills introduced
by Senator Metzger, Senator Rice and
Representative Goodness, presumably
on behalf OF the respective political
party to which each enc belonged, bot
through. TIE bill which did get pass
ed. Act SO, bears all the earmarks OF
having been drafted in the executive
chamber. This bill was introduced by
Representative Sheldon, the chairman
or the judiciary committee in the
house, as a substitute for the one in
troduced by Representative Goodness,
and as amended was finally passed by
the legislature and signed by the gov
ernor.
4 Section i provides for the appoint
ment OF three commissioners with
their salaries, tenure and qualifica-
TONS.
Il Section Q gives the commission pow
err to employ such attorneys, clerks,
stenographers, agents, engineers. ac-
cou1itants and other assistants as may
be necessary, to define their powers
and duties and to fix their eompensa-
ton On request, the attorney gem
eral may also be consulted.
! Section provides for an annual re.
port.
Section 4 defines the general powers
and duties OF the commission.
Section 5 sets out what the commits
sion may investigate.
4 Section 6 requires public utilities to
furnish information on request.
Section requires public utilities to
report accidents to the commission.
Section gives the commission POW.
er to compel attendance of witnesses,
etc.
/ Section 8 requires the publication Of
rates. fares, ciassifications, charges
and rules of every public utility
Section 10 Is in regard to notice Il
bearings
Section II allows any one concerned
to have counsel.
Section IL allows the commission to
make rules respecting the procedure
before it,
4 Section IL is in regard to recon-
mendations and suits BY the commits
sion.
Section Ii Is in regard to regulating
rates, etc, and allows appeals to the
supreme court from orders made By
the commission.
4 Section u provides a monetary PEN
atty for falling to comply with the law.
4 Section is is In regard to perjury.
Section IL refers to the financing
Of the expenses of the commission.
Section Is defines the term public
lutility. Z
Section 10 provides that the inyali-
ldfty of any portion of the act shall not
destroy the balance.
4 Section 20 makes the act inapplica
BILE under certain circumstances.
Section 81 provides that the act
shall take effect on July /, 1913.
\ This act was signed by the then
governor on April 10, 1913.
i On April 20, 1913. the governor sent
to the senate the names of the follow
1 ing persons as members of the utfli-
ties commissions: e A. Mott-Smith,
member and chairman; ]. N. S. Wiz
liams, member; A. ]. Gignoux, mem
Der. These gentlemen were confirm
ed the same day.
IT thus appears that more than two
months before July i, 1913, a Repub-
lican governor nominated and, by and
1 with the advice of Republican SEN
ate, appointed members of a commits
sion which was not then in existence
legally and which could not at that
time come into existence before July
1, 1913. The only inference that can
be drawn is that the then Republican
governor and the then Republican ma
jority in the senate were looking
after their friends in a political way.
The then Republican governor knew
and the then Republican majority in
the senate knew that the governor
was going out of Office. Yet it was
important before new governor was
appointed, the name of whom no one
could then predict, that the corpora
tions affected by this act should know
the personnel of this commission and
that the members of that body should
be confirmed by the senate, which was
then directly or Indirectly controlled
by the interests" because new gov
ernor after July /, 1913, might ap-I
point commissioners not satisfactory
to the Helect, 2 which appointments
would hold good under the law until
the end of the next session of the SEN
ate, namely, until about the end of
April, 1915.
In my humble opinion, it is seri-
GUS question whether the salaries
since July /, 1913, of the members APP
pointed under such circumstances
should not be refunded to the commits.
sion's account in the treasury A LEI
gal opinion on the matter from a Law
yer of high professional staining
should be secured sat once, because
the sooner this question is settled the
better for all concerned. -seel
The fine Italian hand of the public
utility concerns in this territory in
endeayoring to postpone all action
with regard to public utilities, not
withstanding the planks heretofore
referred to in both party platforms, is
seen whom fho fIloc nf Tho ponif1 TSafl1-