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Show TWO BAD PROVISIONS. One particularly vicious section was retained in the public utilities bill by tho senate yesterday, and a second, equally inimical to railroads and the public they serve, after being beaten, waj left pending under notice of motion mo-tion to reconsider. The former was the section fixing a schedule of maximum freight rates for coal shipments within the state. The latter was a proposed amendment fixing a maximum car limit of fifty-five cars.. Under the general powers to be given the public utilities commission it will have the right to fix coal rates within the state. Since the law will go into effect on July 1, it cannot be argued in support of the rate schedule that it , will confer, a benefit on the average householder, for he is not affected by coal rates at that season. The commissioners commis-sioners will have opportunity to fix rates in plenty of time for the protection of the public, if they find that changes from the existing schedules are necessary. neces-sary. Also, by the provisions of the bill, they can, if they desire, arbitrarily suspend any rates fixed by the legis-ture. legis-ture. The section is unnecessary and worse, for it would indicate, if accepted, a willingness on the part of the legislature legisla-ture to fix a price for a public service without adequate knowledge of what thould be charged for it- The only construction that could be placed on such an action would be that the legislature legis-lature stands ready to punish a railroad in the hope of some political advantage, now or in the future. Another evil phase of this provision is that it might easily shut all coal, except LTtah coal, out of the Utah mar-let. mar-let. If the rates are too low to be met by Wyoming and Colorado producers, they will abandon . the Utah market entirely. en-tirely. A moment's reflection will show the condition that might arise at some time when the need of more coal than could be supplied locally should become imperative. The car limit section is an invitation to the railroads to move backward to conditions that existed years ago. It is an effort to restore the railroading of the days of the light rail, the flimsy bridge and the little locomotive. Pro-l Pro-l gressive railroad managements have expended ex-pended vast sums of money in order to provide solid roadbeds "and heavy rails on which to carry the monster locomotives locomo-tives of today, together with the long trains they can haul. All of these improvements im-provements have brought about bettered bet-tered conditions, in lowered rates as in added safety. Such a provision as that offered yesterday is plainly a penalty on enterprise and enlightened progress. It can benefit no one and will be" hurtful hurt-ful to every person who directly or indirectly in-directly is a user of the railroads, for economic laws operate with even greater great-er surcness than the laws of any congress con-gress or legislature. |