Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-03-22
FIRST ANNUAL REPORT
OF MAINE PUBLIC UTIL-
tiles COMMISSION

report of the PUBIC UtllltleS SoIniHiS-
sion is ready for the binder and will be
ready for distribution in the near flu
ture. This report embraces the year
ending October 81, 1915, which marks
one full year Of the operation OF the
Public Utilities Act, although the Com
mission was not completed and organ
lied for work until December l. 1914.
It is the intention Of the commission
to issue it's annual report in two VOL
umes Volume one deals with the pub
lie utilities Of the State; volume two.
which is now in the hands Of the print
err, will deal with the water storage
department. "There are several rea-
sons for this" says the commission in
it's letter of transmittal. among others
being the fact that those persons who
are interested in the water storage
matters may not be particularly inter-
ested in the report upon public utilities.
and there will be considerable saving
by printing a smaller volume devoted
to water storage matters and trans
hitting that to those interested. and
transmitting the utilities report to an
entirely different group. who are inter-
ested in the utilities matters"
General Observations.
The report gives the organization Of
the department at the end of the year
as: Three commissioners, clerk, assist
ant clerk, chief engineer, assistant en-
gineer, engineer in charge Of water
storage and topography, chief auditor
and accountant, assistant auditor and
accountant, chief Of rates and sched-
ules. chief inspector, one filing clerk
three stenographers.
THE average of incoming mail has
been about $50 pieces day, or 1000
month. The average of outgoing
mail has been 100 pieces day or near
ly 5000 a month. Nearly all this has
been attended to by the commissioners.
because it was apparent that the first
ten or 12 months would have to be
devoted largely to getting together
by the utilities. the public and the COM
mission, to the end that precedents
might be carefully established, inform
alton be fully. freely and promptly
disseminated and received. and the
public, the utilities and the commits
sion become acquainted with and ac-
customed to the new order of things
and obligations Of each hereunder.
> We wrote letters and answered
letters. thousands Of them. but we OBJ
tanned the gratifying result of salts
factorily arranging more than 80 per
cent of all complaints without the ne
cessity Of a hearing"
Rates.
The report deals at length with rates.
schedules, special rates and contracts
for a given rate for fixed term. Re-
ferring to the prevalence of special
rates and the efforts that have been
made to abolish them, the report says:
$50 universal had this practice become
that the manager Of one large utility
on assuming charge a short time ago
found more than 1900 customers enjoy
| ing special rates" The abolition OF
these practices means equality and
equality is the theory, the science and
the common sense Of every schedule OF
rates"
"a schedule of rates to comply with
the law must be sufficiently definite
elaborate and clear to enable every Gus
toner to know exactly what class he
comes in and the exact amount which
he is called upon to pay for the partic-
ular quantity he desires to purchase
| Such schedule must also contain ev-
cry rule, regulation, practice or re-
quirement which the company intend:
to enforce In the schedules OF
some utilities there is too much appar-
ent mystery. The schedule maker has
undertaken to crowd too much into q
comparatively small space. with the re-
suit that unless a person is an exper'
it is practically impossible to figure
out the rate at which particular com
modify can be moved on some OF oul
railroads to a near or to distant
point. We find that very many agents
at the smaller railroad stations are mo-
at all posted with reference to the
schedule, and oftentimes make seriou:
and costly plumbers. A schedule o.
rates should be simple enough SO tina
a shipper Of average intelligence coult
take the schedule and determine fol
himself the best route and manner To-
shipping his particular commodity
We urge upon the railroads and othe1
large utilities to so simplify thei
schedules Of rates as to make them un
derstandable by those customers wht
frequently use the service offered"
Accidents and Their Prevention.
During the year accidents resulting
in the loss Of So lives were reported Il
the commission. and 2.1S7 non-fatai &C
cidents. All fatal accidents were in
yestigated. They were divided amoni
the different classes of utilities: Rail
roads, So; street railroads. IA; electri
cal companies. s: telephone companies
8; vessels l.
or the deaths reported by steam rail
road companies ~ were of trespassers
IA at grade crossings. and IL Of EN-
ployees. No passenger on a steam
railroad was killed during the year
Eight Of the persons killed at grad
crossings were riding in automobiles
land one on a motorcycle.
"Of the IA deaths in connection witt
street railroads six were of children o.
or crossing the tracks; ono a womal
crossing the track; one woman step
ped in front Of a car to avoid an au
tomobile; one intoxicated man wa
asleep on the track; ono tntoxicate
passenger fell from a car; one chill