Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-23
UTILITIES CONTROL
BY U. S. is OPPOSED
National Association of Com
missioners Objects to Fed
eraI Court Intervention.
BY GEORGE E. DOYING.
.ocio, rotsnstcb IN THE Star

Special Dispatch to The Star.
RICHMOND, Va, october 23.-The
keynote of the annual convention of the
National Association of Railroad and
Public Utilities Commissioners in ses-
sion here this week. is strenuous oppo-
sition to Federal regulation Of public
utilities.
Speaker after speaker and committee
reports in several instances deplored
the tendency toward GENERALIZATION of
utility control and the tendency Of
lower Federal courts to set aside rates
fixed by State commissions.
There can be no such thing as con-
current jurisdiction or even co-opera-
ton between the States and the Federal
making" declared Frank P. Morgan,
member of the Alabama Public Service
Comm isSion in a strongly worded ad-
dress on the subject of State rights.
Urges Legislation.
Clyde L. Seavey president Of the
California Railroad Commission, advo-
Gated congressional legislation to pre-
vent Federal district courts from con-
tinuing to substitute their Judgment in
rate cases for that of the more expert
enced State commission. The situa-
ton, he said, presents "a condition
which threatens to destroy the effec-
tiveness Of State regulatory action" He
would compel a public utility to appeal
to the State supreme court, and then,
If Federal constitutional question Is
involved, further appeal might lie
taken direct to the Supreme Court OF
the United States.
There is not even need for Fed
eral legislation to control holding COM
panies, according to the report of a
committee composed of commissioners
from Nevada, Maine. West Virginia,
Maryland, New York, Colorado, Arkan-
sas and Mississippi
I'VE believe" this committee said,
that the States have adequate power
to regulate the reasonableness of oper-
ating expenses, and we suggest that
care be exercised by all of our men,
bers when legislation is proposed by
Congress to see that the existing regu-
latory jurisdiction of the State COM
missions is adequately and properly
protected from invasion"
Harry H, Hannah, chairman Of the
Tennessee Railroad and Public Utili-
ties Commission and retiring president
of the national association, declared
that the public utilities under State
regulation have weathered the economic
depression far better than any other
industry, and he attributed this situa-
ton largely to the care exercised by
the commissions in their control OF
securities issued by the utilities.
Suggests Coordination.
Both Mr.. Hannah and Ezra Brainerd,
jr., chairman of the Interstate Com
merce Commission asserted that there
must be coordination of all the trans
portation agencies of the country.
Transportation should be Viewed as a
national problem, Mr.. Brainerd said.
and proper service must be provided
without regard to the agency best quail
flied to render it.
The association, which has been ac-
tive for six years in attempting to Sc
cure Federal legislation for control of
interstate busses through joint action
of the Interstate Commerce Commission
and the State commissions. has under
consideration a proposal that new
bill be presented to Congress that will
undertake also to regulate truck lines.
1t is anticipates, however, that this
proposal will be rejected, at least so far
as it involves complicating the bus bill
with the truck question. The organi-
cation may as an alternative 60 on
record as favoring separate bills for
control of BUSES and trucks.
Copyright, 1879