Arizona republican., 1922-05-06

"The Mountains Trip to Mahometv
To the Editor:
In no spirit OF criticism but as an
earnest seeker Of information about
matters which we do not understand
we would inquire why the state cor
poration commission of Arizona is
sitting at Los Angeles to hear a prop
osition to determine whether an Ari-
zona corporation whose property lies
in Arizona shall be allowed to in
crease its bonded Indebtedness"
The above is an excerpt from an
editorial in Yesterdays Arizona Re-
publican. The criticism attempted to
be made on the Arizona corporation
commission was based upon the idea
OF its having spent the peoples money
in a trip TO Los Angeles to take eyi-
dence in a matter before 1t. When !
read it | was astonished. Being a
Democrat, I felt that il the state
ments contained in the editorial We're
true then an institution that is func-
tioning and whose officers were
elected by the Democratic party of
this state was so very derelict in its
duties as to bring charges of such
gross missuse of its powers. it was
depiorarle fact.
| was compelled for the moment to
be pessimistic. The lines of John
Boyle O'Reily came knocking in my
memory:
81 am tired of the show and seeming,
or that life that Is half lie.
Of the faces filled with scheming,
And the crowd that hurries by"
With the editorial in my hand,
hastened to the state house and OBJ
tained an interview with Corporation
Commissioner Amos A. Belts, and
asked him: How about it?" He
replied: These are the facts of our
going to Los Angeles: The hearing
was upon application of mining
company 20 issue bonds and was of
much moment to probable purchas-
ers of those bonds as well as the
stockholders Of the corporation. Ar
rangements were first made for the
hearing to be had at Phoenix, but
upon the company's statement that
they would have to bring some 20
witnesses from Los Angeles to Phoe-
nix and their proposal TO pay the
| commissions expenses in going tc
Los Angeles to hold the hearing, the
commissioners. desiring to be of per-
sonal service. did so, and the tax
payers of the state were not made
poorer thereby"
I asked If the corporation commits
sion has spent much of the peoples
money in travelling, when he reached
into pigeon hole of his desk and
handed me report made by the
commission last January covering its
actions for some time past
The report was somewhat yolim>
inous, but it summarizes the accom-
plishmentS of that department in
| tVr xxrl1f n1a
summary might be put into dollars
and cents and say this:
Total saving to this state $2,SS4,-
55ST5. The most of these. savings
are continuing ones that viii be to
the advantage of the state in the fu-
ture"
take this excerpt bodily from the
report:
travelling expenses to points outside
the state, / would like to call your
attention to the fact that | have
made two such trips to Washington
during the last twelve months. In the
first instance in the matter of the
oral argument on tile State Railroad
case heretofore referred to. the ex-
penses of the state of Arizona We're
about 500. The net saving to the
state dS Il result OIL THIS eApSAuAtulc Z
will approximate more than $500,O00
per annum in rates on ore. livestock,
sand an. gravel, milk and cream.
The secon trip was in connection
with the hay and grain case in Au--
gust, and involved an expenditure of
approximately $500, it being neces-
sary to pay a part of the expenses
of the witness, which it was essen
tial we should take with US. The net
saving to the state in this instance
is approximately S150,000 per annum." ="
Further inquiry brought forth the
fact that the corporation commission
has not spent the peoples money in
travelling outside the state to any ex-
tent. but on the other hand, even in
the state taey have reached the peo-
Pile in different parts and saved
much expense to those who were
having hearings. They have never
INDUCED . the purchasing of cars
as have other state institutions, and
it can be said that this institution
has not indulged in incursions into