The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-21
Warehouses Bill Calls for Dropping of the Present Board and Substitution of Five New Commissioners at $4,OOO a Year Instead of $5.OOO.
Special to The Farmer.)

Especial to The Farmer.)
 Hartford, Feb. 21.-Characterlzlng the Public Utilities Commission or Connecticut as board lacking in in- itiatiye, and as having on it's own ac- count assumed judicial functions, Ivan l.. Morehouse, representative rom Stratford. assured the members of the Judiciary Committee of the Genera1 { Assembly that no spirit of levlty hao prompted him to draft his bill aiming to abolish the board, and ban US pres ent members from sitting on the Fuo- lie Service commission which he plans to have substituted. =
 MT. Morehouse said that he hao used the term Public Service ao- . visedly. and he explained that he had included the clause which. would pre- vent the members of the UtlhtleS Commission from being appointed 10 the proposed board of five members to take it's place, because he was profft- ing bv the lessons of the past. He re ferred to the naming of Governor Raldwin of thesthen railroad commits sioners. whose offices were abolished by the creation of the pupnc/ u..,i- VI. , ties conamission, to become the utlll- ties commissioners.
 Explaining that he did not want to appear in the light of irnpugnlngK the integrity of the present commissioners he paid tribute to their aplllty' thei' added that if he were dlrectlng .he affairs of a public service corporatioh he would be glad ,of an opportunity to engage. them in it's services.
 He criticized what he termed the boards complete failure to be aggres- sdye in the public interest. 4 petl- tioner for relief must come before the board with full law case, prepared for the commissioners, for they do not , regard it within their province to lnl- tiate.
 ! He spoke { of. the commissions re- norts. some of them 800 pages, or which about 50 represented the com unittee's work, and the remainder o1 1 the various utilities.
 Then he referred to the Norwalk bridge case, which he cited to show the difficulties of the public in ob- taining equity in dealing with the pub lie utilities corporations. This was a dispute between Norwa1k and the ! Connecticut Co.,, as to the latter { share of the cost of a new bridge. II sIwent to the Supreme court, and More ] house pointed out that the utilities i commissioners were not sustained. ! This was the most important case that had come before the commission, he said.
 Taking up the personnel of the board he argued that at least two of the three members through long aS- sociation had become of that habit of thought that thsy hisliked to cause any trouble for the public seryiceacor- potations. To offset such condition he had suggested a board of five mem bers. the number corresponding to that in many other states.
 The people of Connecticut, he said, are worse off with the utilities com mission, now, than with no, board at all because they assume that such a board will protect their rights.
 Following MT. Warehouse, Repre- , sentative w. B. Rogers of Manches- :, ter, author of the defeated resolution ! calling for an investigation of J. H. Hale. a member of the commission, and his freight service on trolley line running near his peach orchards spoke briefly in support of the More house TeSOIuI10n.A X ss \ 1
 AS a@ point in favor of the More house bill he cited what he termed the intolerable service on railroad and trolley lines of the state, of which the commission has been aware.
 MT. Rogers said he did not believe s there should beEa commission hostile s to the corporations but one which should have public confidence. He !, concluded that the present commis- sion lacks public confidence. The very absence of complaints from cit. ies like Hartford (whoses trolley ser vice has been slikened to that ir Rridgeport) is proof of 1ack-of conf dence of the public in the commission
 None defended the commission, nol opposed the Morehouse bill The bil provides for the appointment of members of the new commission at 2 salary of $4,000 each. The presen salary is $5,000.