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Show UTILITIES BfJPfiTE Administration Bill, Shorn of Many of Its Drastic Provisions, Is Finally Accepted by Upper House and Carries Car-ries by Unanimous , Vote. CHANGES MAKE LAW MORE FAIR Maximum Freight Rate Clause and Length of Trains Limit Provisions, Pro-visions, Suggested by Steering Committee, Are Dropped From Draft. .Minus the maximum freight rate and length of trains limit provisions and 'uany other innovations proposed by the steering committee, the public utilities bill passed the upper house of the legislature leg-islature yesterday afternoon by a unanimous unani-mous vote. Along with the maximum freight rate section there was dropped the provision that employees of corporations furnishing furnish-ing the commission information should not be discharged. . A paragraph also was substituted which gives the governor gov-ernor the power to remove any member mem-ber of the commission without the sanction sanc-tion of the senate, and about a dozen other amendments were adopted which were intended to strengthen in some places and in others to make the bill more fair and conservative. Conservatives Rule. The more conservative element, led by Senator W. W. Armstrong, carried practically every important point they raised during tho discussion of the measure. They slipped slightly on tho proposition to strike out part of the section giving the commission power to designate when and where extensions will be built and the site of new structures. struc-tures. Also there was a little hitch in the movement to eliminate the word "supervise," leaving the commission with power to regulate only. Scarcely had the chaplain completed the opening prayer at the special session ses-sion yesterday morning when Senator Armstrong exercised tho privilege conferral con-ferral the previous day when he served notice he would ask for a reconsideration reconsidera-tion of his motion to strike out the maximum freight rate section. Xvwiotton Won Over. The motion lost by a tie vote the previous day, but yesterday Senator vVootton swung into "line with the conservatives. con-servatives. Keconsideration was granted, grant-ed, somo argument followed and then Senator Armstrong's motion was carried car-ried by a Vote of '10 to 8, and the blue pencil deleted the maximum freight rate provision. Senator Olson retaliated without delay by asking for a reconsideration of the proposed amendment providintr for a limit of fifty-five cars In freight trains and work trains. As Senator Walton had not then arrived, however, lie asked that Hction be deferred until after the noon recess. The request was granted and again the amendment failed to pass. When Senator Reynolds asked to strike out the word "supervise," Senator Evans entered strenuous objections. He declared de-clared that the word was necessary to clothe the commission with the proper rower to carry out the work to which It would be assigned. Wrangle Renewed. Ho Insisted that tho senate had gone f far from radicalism that it had become almost ultraconservative. Tho motion was lost. Senator Chez's suggestion that the act snoukf take effect upon approval was accepted without opposition ;,. waF ,ne amendment offered hy senator Evans KiMne ti e xovernor the power to remove a member of the commission without the auction of the senate hy Rlvinc: the partv to be ousted a public heariiiR. Rut the peace was shortlived. Senator Armstrong started the pyrotechnics anew by expressing a desire to eliminate the section Klvine the commission power to order extensions and Improvements and designating where and how extensions find structures should be erected. Hlson Scores Senate. KNery possible attempt is hein made emasculate the bill and m:ike itVo'Uh-s." itVo'Uh-s." shouted Senator Olson. "The serins committee lias been accused of ing to extremes in the drafting of the (Continued on Y?zq Fourteen.) I UTILITIES MEASURE PASSED BY SITE (Continued from Page One.-) public utilities bill. Imt from the recent performf! ncc of Ihe senate it was perfectly perfect-ly safe; there seems no possible danger of apytliin-r with toeth or claws getUng throuErh this brunch of the legislature." Senator Sepcmlller offered t!ie comment that the parting rlause and tlie approval clause had been rt-ta ined. and c pressed the hope that he might yet have the opportunity op-portunity of voting op then.. The contention of Senator Armstrong was that all power necessary to tho commission com-mission was granted in other parts of the hill and that the section was no more than surplusage. lie asserted that the provisions in the section were a little more definite in nature and conferred a power to the commission which might easily he abused, find consequently work a hardship on the utilities and the people. But the amendment was lost. Parker Starts Things. Senator Parker gave the orators a fresh start with a proposition to eliminate the section which prohibited corporations from discharging employees who gave information in-formation to the commission. He pointed out various reasons why such a provision woidd be objectionable. "It is a sort of vermiform appendix," asserted Senator Evans, who supported the motion. "We may be able to amend the sertion, but there will always be a chance for trouble which will be of more or less bother not only to the commission, commis-sion, but to tiie utilities. I ren!ly believe that 1 he bill would be stronger without it. After the vote the bill was without It. At the afternoon session the arguments were resumed and several amendments of minor importance offered and accepted; some were defeated. Senator Olson asked for a reconsideration of the car-limit car-limit provision, but the motion failed by a vote of 11 to T. Ho immediately offered another amendment giving the com mis- slon power to designate the number of cars to be handled in trains, and the amendment was accepted without opposition. opposi-tion. Withdraws Motion. Noting that tlie maximum freight rate section had been eliminated. Senator WaJ-ton WaJ-ton proposed to till the vacant spot in the bill ith a, maximum telephone I schedule. l ie read his proposed scale, land immediately there came a howl from all pans of the room occupied by !the senators from outside counties. One and all of the down -state senators declared de-clared that the Salt Lake senator had presented rates far in excess of what they were already paying and ohjerted strenuously strenu-ously to any increase in their telephone rates. Pome what taken abark, the veteran Bull Mooser withdrew his motion and began be-gan a man-to-rnan canvass to learn just how much more lie was paying for telephone tele-phone service in the city than were his colleagues from the country. Refore the canvass was completed the bill had been put on its final passage, passed by unanimous unani-mous vote and started on the way to the lower house. Conservatives Pleased. Senator Armstrong: and all the members mem-bers of the more conservative element expressed themselves as well pleased with the bill as passed. They admitted that they had pockets full of proposed amendments amend-ments that were not presented, but expressed ex-pressed the fear that if more improvements improve-ments had been offered the bill would have had to be red rafted and proba bly would not have been acted upon for two or three days more. Even Senator Olson, Ol-son, who championed the steering committee's com-mittee's ideas on the senate floor, admitted ad-mitted without hesitancy that It was a good bill. It Is understood that an effort will be made in the lower house to pass the bill practically as it came from the senate. |