The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1916-02-10
.emedied. by the legislature.

RADIO, with the exception of Irrigation
companies. shall be subject to the
jurisdiction of the Commission, and
he Commission is given full power to
regulate their rates, service, and
practices either on its own motion, or
on motion of some Interested party.
In case of local utility serving a
municipality, complaint may lie made
~ the Mayor or Council. or by a petit
ton signed by twenty-five patrons. or
prospective patrons, of the utility
complained of.
A Public Utility is defined by the
Act to include every common carrier,
PIPE line, gas, electrical, telephone.
telegraph and water corporation. or
persons or municipalities operating
for the purpose OF supplying the pub
lie for domestic. mechanical or pub
lie uses. and at the last session of
the legislature ''jitney busses" operat-
ing in competition with street cars
and railroads, were declared to be
ruDlic utilities and placed under the
jurisdiction of the Commission
The functions of the Commission
are to see that utility companies un-
der its Jurisdiction shall furn sh ade-
quate and standard service to their
patrons. and at a fair and Tea sonable
rate. To enforce the use of prorer
safety devices end TO see that the
prol erty is properly managed. with a
view 20 the health, safety. and CON
venience OF their PATRONS and en-
ployes: and for these purposes it has
the power to hold hearings. summon
witnesses, take testimony. order hooks.
Papers, and records brought before it,
to ascertain the physical value of any
ntiiit1- i,, Ja,
herewith. When the Commission has
thus established a scale of rates. fix
ed a stondard of service. or ordered
certain practices to be esta lished. it
has the same force and effect as
statute. and is eqraily binding on all
parties alike. even though franchise
provisions provide for other and diff
ferent rates and services.
The Commission is rot tound by
technical rules OF evidence. but can
and does. entertain any Testimony that
will have any bearing whatever on the
cestion before 1t. II is also empower
ed to hold hearings by one or more
Commissioners in any raTt of the
state: the purpose of this clause is.
of course, to make 1t as easy and in
expensive as possible for complain
ants. While, naturally, most of our
hearings are held in Denver. still 1t is
the policy of the Commission to hold
hearings at other places when the
convenience of the interested parties
require it; in fact. 1t Is the purpose OF
the law, and the policy OF the Com
mission. to conduct its affairs that re-
lief may he had without incurring any.
or at least very little. expense. Tn
der the rules of practice adopted by
the Commission any person. whether
; he be a lawyer or not. can present
and argue his case. This rule has
proved to be most wholesome and
beneficial to many complsinants as 1t
obviates the necessity OF hiring an
attorney. an expense which. in many
cases would not be justified.
Under the rules of practice adopted
by the Commission certain forms are
used for filing formal complaints. This
is made necessary In case an appeal
is taken from the decision of the Com
mission. However II is the policy OF
the Commission to encourage COM
plants. in the first instance, to file
informal complaints. which consist
merely OF letter or brief statement
setting forth the matter or thing COM
planned OF. The matter Is then taken
up with the utility complained of.
either by corresDondence or through
the inspection department. and in a
great majority of cases complaints
are disposed in this manner. to the en-
! tire satisfaction of all concerned. II.
| however. the utility company is not
willing to satisfy an informal com
plant, the parties are advised to fle
formal complaint and. after due no
tice, a hearing is held and an order
made on the findings and conclusions
as developed by the record in the
case. II will thus be seen that two
cent stamp is all the expense that is
REQUIRED to lay an informal complaint
before the Commission.
The matter OF fling complaints be-
fore the Commission. the method of
procedure and the way in which ap-
reals are taken from the deci-
sions of the Commission are
so radically different from the
provisions OF the old Rail
road law. that 1t might lie of interest
to show the CHANCES and the benei-
cial results of such chances. Under
the Railroad Commission Act of 1907.
as well as the amended Act OF .Y10.
the Commission was not given the
power to initiate complaints upon its
own motion and was powerless to act
in any case until after a formal com
plant had been fled by an interested
party. This naturally had the effect
OF curtailing complaints. No one
would file a complaint except In the
most aggravated cases. and then only
in cases of special interest to some in
dividual or locality. Matters of gen
eral interest were never complained
Of; therefore never came tefore tho
Commission. Another and probably
the most important reason why com
plants were not filed with the Kali
road Commission vas the method