Court Opinion

ID: 8022824
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2022-09-09 02:27:38.344107+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T16:36:43.401123
License: Public Domain

Mr. Justice Holloway:
I dissent. In construing a statute, the courts are required to consider not alone the words employed, but as well the general purpose of the Act and the evils sought to be remedied. The purpose of the statute creating the Utilities Commission and defining its powers and duties was to bring the public utilities of the state under governmental control. The overshadowing evil to be remedied was the prevention of unjust discriminations in service and rates — to abolish ■all gratuitous rebates and special privileges. It was made unlawful for any public utility to charge a greater or less compensation for service than that established by the commission. With these declared purposes in view, it would seem to be a fair construction of section 12 to hold that the saving clause applies only to contracts then in force, and that it was never the intention of the legislature to extend immunity to renewals -or extensions of such contracts.