New Britain herald., 1928-10-04
NORRIS ON POWER

Charles u. MOTIFS, ueIHOCIdllC
candidate for governor. evidently
believes the people Of the state
should know more about how power
grants have been made in Copnecti-
cut, from the earliest times to the
present. The difference in procedure,
he holds In his first announcement on
this topic, is marked. He Is justified
in believing that the change In
method has not been for the best
interests Of the people.
Here Is the record as he has dug
lit up:
The first charter to a water COM
pany granted by legislature in Con-
necticut was in May 1877, the
charter being granted to the pro-
prietors OF the Hartford Aaueduct
and appeared as Chapter
in Title NJ OF the statutes pub
lished in lS0S. The charter made
the corporation capable OF suing and
being sued, and limited other OF its
corporate privileges. 1t was allowed
to lay pipes in streets and highways
but was required to keep the streets
In repair thereafter. All of which
sounds reasonable and is what one
would expect.
Corporate rights were granted In
May 1900 to the owners Of an aque-
duct in New London, with similar
obligations.
In 1901 a water company was
granted similar rights in Hartford.
But in this instance the power OF
eminent domain was first granted In
the state, and the company was CIV
en- the power to sink pipes of con-
duits in the grounds of any private
person and to conduct water across
private lands. A similar power to
use private lands has been granted
to practically every public utility
company from that time on. under
the principle that the right of the
public is superior to the right of an
individual. But the state has no
right to grant eminent domain ex-
cept for public purposes.
Reaching the special act of the
1877 Legislature, which granted
rights to the Connecticut Light {
Power company, Candidate Morris
finds a wide departure from the first
six charters appearing in the 1905
edition of the statutes. The company
of j. Henry Roraback was gtveI
authority to take any land it pleaset
on the Housatonic river or IT.
tributaries with only minor limita
lions as to area, and laid no obliga.
ton of service upon the company. Ii
the words of Mr.. Norris the gram
merely yields wholesale privileges
but no duties Here are the candi
dates words:
1,n nj, IF tod 1sx3
quired no service of the company
laid no obligations whatsoever upol
it, did not even require 1t to develop
the potential water powers grantee
to it. But the 1927 grant enabled tn
Connecticut Light Il Power com
pany to prevent any other waite
power company acquiring any sub
stantial interest which could not b
defeated at will by the Connecticu
Light & Power company, over a
area comprising approximately one
sixth of the state.''
1t is clear that Mr.. Morris wishe
voters not to forget what J. Henry
Legislature did for the power com
pany in 1927: that he wishes thi
act thrust as an issue into the stat
campaign. The effort IL commend
. able. Scarcely anything ever done b
the Legislature has been more high
handed. being nothing less tina
handing over the states water powe
resources to the company of its bOs
politician. Mr.. Morris emphasizes tn
point that the vast store Of waite
power was given without exactin
any duty in their development wha
ever. OF course, the company
utilizing part of its store thus gain
ed and is constructing quite n
markable lake and power plant; b1
it can retain the remainder il
definitely, preventing any oth'
power concern from gaining a foo
> hold. That is the kind Of grant tn;
is Objectionable, regardless of no
enterprising the concern may be +,
; a whole.
AIDING UTILITIES