The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-01-28
CORPORATION
BODY'SFLCHT
TOBEBITTER
VIII Seek to Keep Identity
of This Agency After
Merger
By ]. c. BASKERViLL
The Times-Sews Bureau
Sir Walter Hotel

The Times-News Bureau
Sir Walter Hotel
RALEIGH, Jan. 2S.-hlthougn
the recommendation for the aDoh-
ton of the State Corporation
Commission and the substitution
of a Utilities Commissioner, as
urged by the joint committees on
REORGANIZATION of the state gov
ernments, was expected to be APP
prived by the general assembly
with little opposition, indications
now that that the bill to carry
out this change is going to en-
counter bitter opposition.
The bill drawn by the reorganl-
cation committee to carry out this
change was referred back to the
committee that drew it after
rather acrimonious fight in the
senate in which numbers of sena-
tors agreed that it should be re-
ferred back to some committee to
permit those desiring to be heard
to appear in opposition to it. Ac-
cordingly hearings on this bill
were started this morning and may
be continued for several days.
The main drive against this bill
is naturally coming from the Cor
poration Commission and friends
of the commissioners and of its
Most of the other elect
ed state officials are also lining
up with the three commissioners,
since all the elected officials con-
slider this effort to abolish the
Corporation Commission and Dust
its members as a direct thrust at
all elected officers, tending dam
gerously in its direction of the
short ballot. AS a result, all of
the political influence welded by
all the elected state official--and
it is considerable-h s already
been thrown against this bill and
will continue to be thrown against
it. While Attorney General Dem
mis- G.. Brummitt has as yet refus-
ed to make any comment, it is
known that he is very
much opposed to this bill and that
it will get no support from him or
his followers.
But there is by no means I'M
of opinion among the
members of the senate with re-
gard to this bill and as to whether
or not it would bring about any !
saving. Quite number
of the senators believe the hill
may eventually cost the ctate a
great deal more than it is design
ed to save and that it should be
to very close study and
analysis before being enacted.
while l am still open minded
or the bill to abolish the corpora !
ton commission and set up sim
gle Utilities Commissioner in
stead, ] believe that the general
assembly should go slow in max |
ing change so important and that |
this bill should be carefully studi-
ed by a committee before being
acted upon" said Senator c. F.
of High Point, who was
one of the leaders of the fight to |
have the bill sent back to the COM |
mittee for more study. "The bill
may be all right as drawn, or it
may not. But the senate should
be sure that it is drawn properly
and contains all the necessary
needed to effectuate
the change contemplated.
There also may be good deal
of foundation for the contention
of those opposing the bill that it
will be Il dangerous thing to turn
over the regulation of all the utili-
ty companies in the state to sim
gle man, to be appointed by the |
governor. There is the danger,
or rather the possibility, that the
Of this one man
might become even more import
ant tina nthe election of COVER
nor and that the election of a
governor might depend upon
whom he intends to appoint to
this position.
"On the other hand, the bill
provides that two judges of the |
court shall sit with this |
commissioner to hear all COM
plants or petitions, so that would
seem to throw an adequate safe
guard around the single commits
sioner. There is undoubtedly
some merit in the contention that
a one-man commission would cost
less to maintain than three man
commission. Yet the three man
commission in the end might prove
far less costly"
Senator Waynick also maintain
ed that while much of the present
wave of feeling against the Cor
poration Commission was un-
doubtedly directed at the person.
mel Of its membership, that the
main reason it had not been able
to do more than it had, was be-
cause the general assembly had
failed in the past to give it either
adequate laws or sufficient ap-
preparations with which to oper-
ate.
So present indications are that
this bill is going to have harder
shedding than at first appeared
likely. o..