New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-20
WANTS SERVICE
BOARDS TAKEN
OUT OF POLITICS
w. r. Wilcox Outlines I'm.
prOvements to COnstitu-
tiOnal Committee.
DEFENDS PRESENT
COMMISSIONERS
Would Have Salaries Reduced
and Terms Made More
Definite.
rrrcrn s,.r cnrr-,pcrd.n, q, II. rr,hnr.l

From s,an Corr-spcrden, q, tt. TIhun.
/ Albany. May 19.-Wilism r. Wilcox,
ex-chairman of the New York City Pub
lilo Service Commission, pleaded for
making the Public Service commits
sons constitutional bodies at a hear
ing to-day before the public utilities
committee Of the constitutional conven-
ton.
/ This. said Mr.. Wilcox. would free
the commissions from politics and the
/ changes so often forced on them by
incoming state administrations. He
/ also warmly defended the members Of
the present commissions under the fire
/ Of the Thompson investigating commit
tee. In this connection il can be stated
authoritatively that the Governor does
not intend 10 act against Messrs. Nc
/ Call, Wood, Maltbe and Cram. These
charges. the Governor holds, are friv-
oloIs when not actually without foun-
dation. Some politicians have been
urging the Governor to GUST them, but
they have been told he will not make
/ known his decision until after his trip
I to California.
/ Among the suggestions made by Mr..
! Wilcox were:
That the present two commissions be
retained and the idea Of combining
/ them into one be abandoned; that the
power of the courts to hold up orders
/ of the commission be limited 20 the
granting OF injunctions, which could
be tested out quickly, and to deciding
questions Of law; that control over sub
way construction in New York City be
/ left with the commission.
Can't Get Right Men.
! In arguing against the present posi-
bilities of political interference with
/ the commissions Mr.. Wilcox said the
uncertain tenure of Office now makes
il next TO impossible to get the right
kind Of men to take the commissioner
ships. He believes in bipartisan COM
missions. saying that not more than
/ three of the five members of each COM
mission should belong to any one party.
! Mr.. Wilcox highly commended the
work Of Chairman Edward +. Mccall,
/ who succeeded him, referring to him as
a very high minded and efficient com
missioner"
AZ consider that the work Of the
present New York commissioners" he
/ said, compares favorably with the
work of officials of any Of the other
! state departments and that the upstate
! commission is on a par with it,"
Would you take the power to make
rates away from the Legislature ?"
asked Senator James A. Foley.
/ IL would not recommend that action"
was the reply. 81 think it unwise for
the Legislature to exercise this power,
but it Should not be taken away"
/ In answer TO a question from another
/ delegate he said he was decidedly
against taking from the commissions
/ the power 10 supervise the issuance OF
securities.
Power Over Certificates.
at was the abuse Of the power to
issue certificates" he said, that was
largely responsible for the creation Of
the Public Service commissions. II
YOU take away this power you might
just as well take away all the commits
sion's regulatory power"
John y. Carlisle, a former member
Of the upstate commission and later
| Highway Commissioner, also favored
making constitutional bodies of the
/ Public Service commissions, and he
urged that the terms of members be
heightened. lie said no Governor has
been strong enough to resist party de-
mands on the appointment of members
Of the Public Service Commission. He
thought the salaries of the commits
sioners should be reduced from $4,000
10 the level Of those of Supreme Court
I justices, so that the commissioner
ships would not be such lure TO poll
ticians. lie said that under the pres
ont conditions a man who IS really
worth $4,000 a year is foolish to be-
4 come q member of the commission, for
he cannot tell what minute he will be
removed TO make room for some politi-
cal favorite.
Mr.. Wilcox is q Republican and Mr..
Carlisle a Democrat. Both have had
experience with tho political changes
made by the shifting OF administra-
lions at Albany.
Favors Minimum Wage.
Abram |. Elkus, a state regent and
counsel 10 the former Factory lnvesti-
eating Commission. told the conven-
ton that the adoption OF an amend
ment fixing a minimum wage for men
would be bitterly opposed by labor
unions. He recommended, however.
that the convention give the Legis-
lature power to enact such a law for
]
Men who would be affected by such
a law usually are organized and are
able 70 take care OF themselves" he
said. II do not mean TO imply that the
health of men is not as important 10
the state as the health Of women and
children. | simply mean that as a
general thing women and minor work
ers are unorgsnized, and need the pro-
tecting arm of the state much more
than men"
Mr.. Elkus also urged the convention
10 vest in the Legislature authority to
prohibit manufacturing work in tene-
ments and 20 regulate and restrict the
number Of hours men may work.
Samuel Gompers, president OF the
American Federation of Labor. has
been invited TO give his views on the
labor amendments proposed. and is ex-