Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1918-06-15

exception rather than the rule In some
places fares have been increased to six
cents; IN others to seven cents; and IN
some have been increased to eight cents.
Only on Tuesday of this week the fares on
the electric railway from Newark, New
Jersey, To New York City, operating
through the tunnel were increased from
II cents to q cents.
"wATERgD STOCK.
"The charge involved IN the cry of
'watered stock may bc true. but our
board has had absolutely no proof of II.
We have been denied by City Council
the funds which with To get for ourselves
the evidence TO prove IT and no other
Interested party has presented any eyi-
dcnce Of IT to us IL NJ absurd TO suppose
that the Traction Company would come
forward and prove To us that It's securities
arc watercd nor have We, or any one else,
the power TO make the Traction tompany
do So Unless we are able to make the
investigation and get the evidence to
prove 1T ourselves. II Is necessary for some
one having an interest adverse 10 the
Traction Company TO do 1t.
"While the decision Of our board may
not meet with popular approval and while
the public may believe that there is
=
Company and NAV desire 10 have II re-
moved. they must realize the fact that It
can ONLY be done III a legal way and that
it's removal could not, after all, be finally
detcrninative of the question as To whctb-
OF the Traction Company should he per
united to increase it's fares
Il shall not at present refer To certain
unwarranted charges made IN n supposed
bill IN equity | NAV decide to act with
respect To such charges IN n moro effective
way hereafter Any suggestion that the
Board al Public Utility commissioners
connivcd with the Traction Ompany m
producing a strike Is. If II has been actually
made n gross slander that will be dealt
with IN the manner appropriate thereto
The entire proceeding bv City toun-
cil seems 10 me to bc an attempt 10 coerce
and mtImIdatc the Board nf Public tiiltS
& commissioners This board sits rs a court,
and after hearing evidence renders IT'S
decision This decision Is subject TO re-
view BY tho Superior Court of this state,
the only power that can review II, and
speaking for mvsclf. | shall not allow my
actions as a member OF this board To be
affected bv public clamor or the action Of
CITY Council, but shall continue to he
guided bv the evidence presented and my
conception Of nv duty as It appears IN the
particular matters with which | am called
upon to deal
HOW THIS WAS TAKEN.
Tins Council and audience listened
with eager attention. especially at the
POINT where Mr. Garretson spoke about
action'he might take. INTERPRETING And
this goes to hammer his thought home
10 his hearers ears Then Mr. Robert
son got to his feet and sand that MIR
GarretSon was mot stirring Council np
hy his threat. and that he rs one member
would say to him Proceed The others
added Go as far aS YOU like. Second
the motion. ME too. and other com
ment Of similar tenor But Proceed
wasn't all the chairman OF the finance
committee SAID Turning to the audi
encc he declared. You are the persons
he classes aS ignorant men, YOU, the com
mon people, And il was Lincoln who SAID
that the Lord must have loved the com
mon people, because he made SO many
OF them"
The incident closed. as the diplomatists
say, attention was turned to the prote
and Commissioner Isaac was duly called
and sworn by Councilman Mearns. Mr.
Robertson again took the role OF chief
inQuiSltOr he assumed last Saturday night
and the quizzing was tegun. First, Mr..
Isaac was asked to read resolution
passed 10y the Utility Commissioners
calling on the traction company To fur
Llsh statement of its receipts and reye-
nues monthly, "as previously sui
mItted
Mr. Rot ertson wanted TO know what
this meant to which he got reply that It
was thought such statements would en-
able the board TO formulate action ac-
cordingly During the Questioning which
foil wed Immediately after this, when Mr..
Robertson WAS trying 10 lind out what
a. previously submitted meant, Mr.
Ioaac Inadvertently addressed the quiz
zcr as MIR Garretson. Wherpupon Mr.
Robertson loudly proclaimed his desire
not N be called 81 and that his Maine
a Robertson.
EXPENSES AND REPORTS.
Mr. Robertson next got from the wltnes,
that these reports were those OF tie firm
Of accountants. Lyhrand Ross Brothers
and Montgomery, and that they did not
refer to the company operations IN the
city only Ii was then brought out that
the reports showed the operating ex
penscs to he the same, $50 600 annually
under a Six-cent fare rs al seven cents.
The witness did not know how tins was
determined nor did he know how much
Of the sum was taxes or how much wages,
or coal. or oil. or depreciation
Next Mr. Robertson asked Mr. Isaac
i he thought the lump sum of $3.50 600
for operating expenses was sufficiently
in detail TO show the COMMISSIONS
that the traction company Is economically
managed After the query was repeated
in various forms Mr. Isaac sad he
thought that the item alone was INSULT
Gent Mr. Robertson went on:
An item OF $2l2 700 also allowed IN
the experts report for additional oper-
ating expenses at p per cent based on
increase Of labor and material costs over
1917 What part of tins sum Is for adj
dltIonal increases Of Labor necessary for
the operation Of the trolley system
Il cant give YOU that off-hand
w hat part OF this sum comprises
material necessary for the proper OPP
Grafton Of the trolley system
\ don't know.
There is an additional item 81 on
IN two Wavs as Sl2S 600 and as slG0.on
representing additional wage increase
10 employees AT the rate OF Sl6 000 per
year for each ! cent advance Does
this increase include only the wages OF
men operating the trolley SYSTEM
That Is what it is supposed to include
Il know. but what does il include
Il did not make the report
Then YOU do not know
Not further than what the report
tells us
TUE MATTER OF RENTALS.