Imperial Valley press., 1919-01-09


proceedings. The report adds:
"Ws have pointed out in former re-
ports that without such valuations eff
fective regulation cannot be had.
With the passing of the wartime
emergency and with the coming of
the time when deliberate and thorough
investigation can again be made
without defeating the essential pur-
poses II regulation, the valuation
work will again assume greater i'm
portance."
The Commission, the report said,
held III public meetings from June
20, 1917, to July T. 1918; met 269
tinlas and rendered l ,692 decisions. the
largest number in its history. One
hundred and fifty formal complaints
were filed and 1898 formal applica-
tons, record number.
Eight hundred and eleven public
utilities filed annual reports with the
Commission. These larorts covered
tn field activities of 63 steam rail
roads, the report said, Al electric rail
roads, , express companies, II water
carriers, 81 electric, 80 gas COM
BttIIAfS, II Sco anu ClCNIlIG GULL
panies, los telephone companies, 3
telegraph companies, 7 telephone and
telegraph companies, 329 water COM
panies, 105 warehousemen and IL
wharfingerS. One thousand automo-
bile transportation utilities are listed
un5er tbs Commissions jurisdiction.
Among other matters listed in the
report are:
"In 1917 the water, gas, electric, tel
ephone and telegraph companies and
steam ana electric railways collected
in the form of rates the sum of $516,-
663, 1917, compared with $451 $780,
520.15 in 1916.
THE telephone companies in 1917
collected $1O4,626,597.02 and ex-
pended for operating expenses S75,-
082 1926. These figures include the
entire earning of the Western Union
Telegraph company and the Pacific
Telephone and Telegraph companies.
The steam railroads operating rev.
enLes amounted to $315,425, ,05S.16 and
operating expenses of 200,207 ,956.90.
Records on file with the Commits
sion show that steam railroads col
lected about S125, ,250,00O from Cali
fornia shippers in 1917, compared with
S109, 100000 in 1915. In 1917 they eX-
pended for operating. purposes in Cali
fornia approximately $81 100000,
compared with $69,800,00 in 1916.
electric railways in 1917 reported
net operating revenues of $8,240,-
70301, a decrease of 81, ,426, ,040, 80 over
1916 Except the United Railroads Of
San Francisco, none of the electric
railways shows large decreases in net
revenues.
"Gas companies in 1917 reported a
net operating revenue OF $4,846216.84.
Electric light companies in 1917 re
ported net revenues Of SIG 123 ,663 AT.
Water companies reported operating
revenues of S4,699931.76.
From July l, 1917, to June 80,
1913, the Commission passed on $78,-
669, 9,6O145 Of stock and bonds and
notes, compared with $1O2,818,085.09
during the preceding year. Of these,
SCI, 1,317,148 were granted; $2,155,-
415.46 denied, ard $15,227, 7,03691 dis
missed
"From July /, 1917, to June 30
1918, pubic utilities applied for au-
thority to sell stocks, bonds, notes
ana other evidences of indebtedness
amounting to $57 ,622 ,369.68.
"Despite war conditions California
Utilities during the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1917, expended in extensions
ard improvements sum exceeding
ole-half the amount expended by the
same utilities in the four years 1918
to 1916 inclusive. The electrical com
Canies spent 65 psr cent as much in
1917 as they did in the preceding -four
years ana the telephone companies
approximately 10 per cent.
During the past year the Commits
sion's engineers have examined ap-
oxinately so per cent of the cross
ings Of the state-there are between
10000 and 1900 grade crossings in
the state. More than 500 accidents
occurred at these crossings within 48
months, resulting in the death Of 309
persons and the injury of 1,159.'