The Penn's Grove record., 1920-07-30
Court Attack On
Utility Orders
Water and Traction Companies
Appeal From Decision of
State Utility Commission

9tg1l N'ater Company to iiSi|u
ar mcterS, refusing to remit tie
cr ~ Central Traction Company 20
oGst It's trolley fare from seven to
~Nr'a, have been attacked IL the
Supreme Court.
The y" Ter companies appeal from
the metel order on the ground that
to comply w0Uld cost S4I5,0oC, d slin
impossible 10 obtain at this tine be-
cause there is 10 market for securl-
ties that the companies might offer
for sale. The bill OF tie companies
..-a that in reaching It's decision
lie Utility Commission ignored evil
don't, showing there is no Ilar.iet for
@'1c security.
: ere is a discussion Ia tie HI of
= ACCESSIBILITY of meter Installation.
It IS pointed ouI that at Il g hearing
3afore the commission the evidence
Va; thai / lid weather meters Lay
eSUlt in surte saving of water, bu;
dat in 4 70 weather and in very dry
..,. h0I weather tie effect of meter
= rcstri. n the use UG water Is nGC
appreciated, conSlm re- prefer1irg 20
allow Il considerable quantity Of
watei =" ,"rn to waste In zero weather
70 pre-, mt pipes rom freezih:,,, willie
i'll drv = hot weather & inStImerS rse
Iarl ~ cites Of tT"trY f0r iTri "a
ton purposes, met,rs or 10 meters.
In the case Of he Jersey Contra
Traction COMPANY the bin insists
that its evidence a. II ed etore th@
Utility Commission Ui.5 clearly tllat
with a seven-ceni fare here il 10 pos-
Sibility Of obta" ny r" e,tre to lleGf
actual operating a',snS. 4 il :iiao
shown that tie company ;naet nhtaiI
funds TO make improvements ordered
~ the commission and that the com-
mission has sc."cG motto" that until
the improvements are made no furt.:el
increases in rates will be allowed.
Want HershfieId Bills Passed.
Demand of the statewide concur
renee will be made on Senator Will
liar n. Runyon by ~disgrunted rent
layers to hold one of its periodical
sessions before sine die adjournment
for 1920 Is agreed upon. VoluminOus
shsa les of petitions have been gath
cred from residents throughout New
Jersey who are being victimized by
ataricious landlords, protesting against
Senator RunyOn's action, as chairman
of the committee On rent and housing
bills. in failing to report the Hershfield
measures which were unanimously
passed by the House of Assembly.
Commissioner James F. Cannon,
Jr., of Jersey City is leading the asi-
tation and under his direction the pc
titions have been circulated and col
lected. According to information from
Jersey City thousands of aggrieved
rent payers have signed the protest
s%ignifying their desire to have the bills
enacted into law.
The Hershfield bills were held up
In the Senate Committee because some
question arose as to their constitution
atty and the legality of their enforce
ment, if passed. The claim was put
forth at the time they were under con-
sideration that they embraced means
of combating rent p~rofiteering which
are impractical.
Notwithstanding this contention,
Commissioner Cannon is of the opin-
ion that their enactment would fur
nish the necessary remedy to defeat
the aim of profiteering landlords.
That his belief is universally shared
throughout the state is evidenced by
the spontaneous manner in which the
petitions have been signed. The pro-
test calls upon Senator RunyOn. as
chairman of the Housing Committee,
TO perform your plain duty to the
rent payers of New Jersey by urging
the passage of these bills without de.
lay"
More Buster Than Sense.
There was more buster than good
sense in the way Jersey City officials
went about their anti-rent p~rofiteering
crusade. They posed as the authors
of a model program for dealing with
oppressive landlords and protecting
helpless tenants. They may have been
sincere, but they were unwiSe and even
reckTess-as unwiSe and reckless as
were the members of the Assembly in
putting through in a hurry a series
of housing bills that. it is 10 admit
ted. would not have solved the prob
lem and would probably have failed as
surely as the Jersey City resolutions
did in a test in the courts.
Duty of the Senate.
At moor tomorrow the Senate will
meet to consider Governor Edwards
appointments to the State Highway
Commission. Unless they are con-
firmed there is little hope that any
progress will be made in road improve
ment before next year; and the New
Jersey highways are in such a de-
plorable condition as to demand early
and intelligent attention.
One may disagree with the governor
over his procedure, but he appears to
have followed strictly the provisions
of the law. Having exercised his pow