Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-06-11

Organize, Standardixs, Advertise
and Patronixs Maine products. This
slogan Of the State Agricultural
snd industrial League 10 . pretty
good one for the people Of Maine to
follow.
The 1. A. 4 w. Petition

When phoned. late Monday even
Ing. that the Lewiston. Augusta &
Waterville Street railway had Pc
titioned for authority to abandon
service upon the Augusta Winthrop
and Augusta Togus lines, and that
hearing was granted for Wednesday,
June IS. at the Kennebec Court
House, we assumed that such hear
ing would be by the Public Utilities
Commission. and. without making
further inquiry, so announced in edi-
torial comment dictated over the
phone to the kennebec Journal Of
ice. Assumption d natural to the
editor seems likely to have raised a
doubt In the minds Of many readers,
a. to jurisdiction in a matter of such
vital Importance to the general pub
lie in this county.
OF course the receiver Of the L. A.
4. W. has q right to petition to the
court. IL for any reason he prefers to
do 20, but If the public has not
besn misled as to the functions of
Z body which it created for big,
specific purpose. then we should ex-
pect the court to say to such re-
ceiver. you are mistaken in your
superstition for you are under the or
igtnal jurisdiction of the Public IT'LL
tiles Commission. as was the man
aSement Of this utility before a re-
oeiver was named by the court"
In another column we are PUBLISH
ing q letter Of especial interest to
the public by the chairman Of the
Public Utilities Commission. We
wish to direct the attention of our
readers to that communication.
Alarmed residents along the lines
on which it is proposed to abandon
or suspend service. are calling. writ
ing and phoning to the Journal Of
Ace. and. We presume to the P. U. c.
ollices to protest. A Hallowell man
came to the Journal Office and We
hemently voiced his indignation. He
declared that his livelihood and that
Of many others who had banked on
the stability Of the road, depended
on it, continued service. He declared
that he would be almost ruined.
Cottagers at the lakes are disturbed
- y an kinds 81 business Of the cit
i~s and towns Joined. tied up and OBJ
ligated on the strength Of an utility
which they granted rights and priv
legeA
These people have rights. They
have invested in good faith and II
they are made to suffer, then they
are entitled to a full accounting
from speculative interests who Sc
cured ana now hold the franchise
grantad. Blunuy. are those grant,
iRg the franchise to be disresarded
At any time when investors under.
taking the enterprise (of course with
the object Of making money! reach a
point where the venture is an outset
instead Of an asset, and without 4
reference to the periods in which
the investment paid. and how largely
1t paid?
There are some figures which we
should like to see dug out by COM
petent Investigators in the affairs
Of this and other roads In Maine
not the juggling by accountants Of
stocks and bonds traded in for pur-
poses Ut confusion, but brass tacks
figures Of tho investors money that
has gone in and the amount they
have taken out.
AS to the question Of jurisdiction
and the safeguarding Of the public
rights by the body provided for that
purpose, to obviate the necessity of
employing skilled legal counsel in
every utilities tangle where public
rights might be menaced. we feel
that the Public Utilities Commission
should assert itself and look after
the public's interests in this and all
similar cases.
The chief question before the pub
lis is why was the petition filed
with the court instead Of the Public
Utilities Commission"
In response to the Kennebec Jour.
nails request on Tuesday. Chairman
Clsaves Of the Commission outlined
the position Of that body in this
case. We are permitted to give the
following:
The commission appears first to
raise the question Of jurisdiction Of
the court In these matters. and we
realize that We are thus placed in a
rather delicate position. It 10 urged
upon us by some who are interested
In the matter Of service upon some
,or all Of these lines that sole juris-
ELECTION in the first instance to deter
mine whether services shall be aban-
doned. curtailed or suspended rests
with this commission. and. that the
supreme court has jurisdiction only
to determine whether the order Of
z commission with reference to