Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-01-08
THE PUBLIC UTILITIES COM.
MISSION OF MAINE

Hon. Charles L. Quincy Chairman.
Hon. Herbert w. Traitor, Commits
sioner.
Hon. Albert Greenlaw. Commissioner.
George F.. Giddings, Clerk.
John f. Goodwin, Acting Chief En-
sineer.
NJ. r. Stackpole, Engineer, Water Re
sources.
. Albert f. Lamb. Chief Accountant.
Frank j. McArdle, Chief, Rate De-
partment.
, Elmer E. Parkman Chief Inspector.
/ Ruel C. Hanks, Official Reporter.
The 10th legislature enacted Chap
ter 1923 of the Public Laws of 1913,
| entitled "An act to create a Public
Utilities Commission, prescribe it's
| powers and duties, and provide for
the regulation and control of public
utilities" The referendum was in
voked and the Governor by procla-
nation directed that said act be sub
mitted to and voted upon by the
people at the general eieoti held in
September, 1914. The bill was dis
cussed pro and con by various cam
paign orators, and as n result of the
election the people sustained the act
| by an overwhelming majority.
The Commissioners Were appointed
shortly after the election and on
December /. 1914, organized with
/ Hon. BENJAMIN +. Cleaves, Chairman.
Hon. William B. Shelton and Hon.
Charles w. Mullen, Commissioners,
and Mr. George F. Giddinss, Clerk.
| At the present time the working
force consists of three commissioners,
| clark chief cnpinanJ assistant
gineer, assistant engineer Water Re-
sources. chief accountant, auditor,
. chief of rates, chief inspector, assis-
! tant inspector, official reporter, assis-
| tant reporter. and five stenographers.
| The. Commission super seeded the
I Board of Railroad Commissioners of
the State of Maine, which body had
I been in existence since 1857. 1t had
! very limited powers ana had under
! its jurisdiction fifteen steam railroad
! companies and thirteen electric rail-
! road companies. 1t was not a regu-
( latory commission within the modern
theory of regulation. It's duties con-
! sisted chiefly in passing upon rail-
! road locations and changes thereof,
highway crossings, and examination
; of roadbed, rolling stock and equip
, ment of railroad companies. All those
E. duties and a great many others were
| passed by public utility act to the
Public Utilities Commission.
/ The Commission mas under its
/ jurisdiction at the present time four
! hundred twenty public utilities
| classified as follows: electric light
and power, seventy four; electric rail-
roads, fourteen express, three; gas,
+, ten: steamboats,, twenty-three: steam
! railroads, fourteen; telephone, one
| hundred ten; telegraph, four; ware
| housemen, two; water, one hundred
| fifty-six and wharfingers, ten. All
! OF the above companies, with the ex-
-, ception of about thirty, are small.
and on this account the work of the
! Commission and its staff is greatly
| increased. The large utility corpo-
rations do not need the advice or ex-
| pert assistance of the Commission or
! it's staff, because they are in a posi-
ton to employ the necessary experts
| to enable the corporations to function
! satisfactorily as public utilities.
| The large companies, Of course, as
well as the small ones, require super
vision upon the part Of the Commits
sion to the end that their practices
may be on-discriminatory and their
rates just and reasonable. The small