Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-07-28

II
Island against your local compauy.
and the company was ordered to file
physical valuation of the property. a
settlement was reached. and YOU re-
ceive at the present time a rate of Sc
per kelowatt. net, for electric service.
which is among the lowest in the TTnI-
Philadelphia, andted States. If is low
er than Chicago or PHILADELPHIA. and
is an estimated saving of approximate
ly $4,000 per year to the consumers
of electrical energy in this vicinity,
having been reduced from II cents per
kilowatt. You received a rate of 85c
net for gas, which is among the lowest
rates in the state for gas service, and
is an estimated annual saving of ap-
proximately $4,000 to the gas CON
sumers in this district, having been re-
duced from 81.
Under the public utilities law nublic
service corporations must secure the
consent and approval of the public
utilities commission before they can
issue stocks and bonds, and under the
supervision of the commission the
practice of watering and selling what
is commonly called blue sky stocks
and bonds has been eliminated.
Public service rates bear some anal
ogy TO tax rates. If everybody is tax
ed justly and in proportion to the kind
and value of his property, the burden
will fall more lightly upon all than is
the case where some escape taxation
and others are loaded with the burdens
which they evade. So it is with pub
lie service rates. 1t has been habitual
with some companies to grant a great
deal of service free, or at greatly re-
duced rates to big concerns, friends.
companies to grant free passes and
other concessions. Under such cir
cumstances, the service must be paid
for and in practice payment is exacted
from other consumers, whereby such
other consumers are required not only
to ray full value for the service OBJ
tanned by them, but as well to con-
tribute for those who are escaping
payment. Invariably this injustice is
greatest upon the small consumer
Under the law, the public utilities
comissiOn has, in every case where
discrimination of this character has
been found to exist. abolished the
practice. That railroads may be able
to carry passengers at a rate OF cents
per mile instead of cents as was
formerly the practice, the commission
adopted the regulations of the inter
state commerce commission, practical
ly abolOshing all free passes upon rail
roads. By conference rulings, the
commission directed that all public
service companies should abolish dis
ordinations as to rates and service, TO
the end that every customer should re-
ceive the same treatment.
Under such a system, the poor can
ride upon the railroads at what it is
reasonably worth to carry them and
oh tn fnr
ing the OpuIent or we'll to do. The
housewife in her humble establish
ment will get gas, water, electric light,
and such other utilities for what they
the worth
l invite the closest scrutiny of the
work of this commission. The Illinois
commission has been controlling the
public utility corporations of the state.
The corporations are not controlling
tho commission.
We have made a careful survey of
the state governments functions and
possibilities and have published our
conclusions. From this printed vol
ume our opponents get their argu-
ments and their material. Some of the
recommendations of the efficiency and
economy committee have already been
adopted. Most of them ought to be
adopted. But they cannot be adopted
on the stump nor in the back room
caucuses of political bosses and boss
let's
at requires legislative action to
adopt these recommendations, and
consolidate the multitudinOus boards
and departments of our state govern
ment. l have recommended this action
upon the legislature and l shall con-
tinue to fight for these reforms as long
as / am governor.
Besides the efficiency and economy
commission, we have established a leg
islative reference bureau, to afford the
opportunity for members of the leg
islature and all others Interested to
learn what other states and foreign
countries have done and are doing in
practical ways and in the administra-
ton of all departments of their gov
ernmentI We want the facts. We want
the truth We want the light from the
sun and the stars, and we are surer
that we see star when we know that
others also see it.
I'VE made material advances in the
vitally important work of good road
construction in Illinois. We found Il
IinOis so wears behind the times in this
undertaking and oath among the
states.
1.-THE cities alone constructed perma-
nent road improvements under the To-
cal improvement law. The efforts in
the country were localized, scattering
and unavailing. The curse of politics
and lack of coordination had cast a
blight on this great economic move
ment in Illinois.
"A good start has now been made. We
are pulling Illinois out of the mud.
Over six hundred miles of state aid
TOD NV
this fall Honor camps have been es-
tablfshed and some of the convicts TAX
en- from behind prison walls in the
penitentiary and their labor utilized to