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Show B OUR MULTIFARIOUS B COMMISSIONS B Under tlio above heading tlio San BB Francisco Chronicle takes a swift rap Br nt California's railroad commission. BBT It hays that tlio state's multifarious BBV commissions "aro political mnchlnes H, which aru consuming the substance H of tlio people" Tlio .article la ns fol- K Whatever elso thoy nrc, there will BB bo nono to deny that every 0110 of our t appointed Stato boards and coimuls- B slons are political machines wlioac I BBk members spend prodigious nmouniH of -' tlmo pnld for by the taxpayers to say H nothing of tlio cost of "olllclal" trips BB so planned as to put tlio right man in B 1 tlio right placo when needed nnd nil B to promote tlio political fortunes of , H tlio appointing power. I BBK BBS Few realize what thoso coninils- M slons cost. It appears that tho Rail- BBJ road Conimlsslau alono cost the peo-. BJ lIo of the Stato 9670,000 for the lust V fiscal year. B Its main work is In settling quar- B rcla between localities ami Industries B nnd In furnishing Investors with In- BB formation which they would other- BBft wise hao to pay for themselves or B B Why should tho taxpayers pay near- BBJ ly three (piattcrs of a million dollars Bj u year for thoso purposes? H The number of Individuals who get BBl, any benefit whatever from the opera- BBh tlons of tlio Railroad Commission Is H Inllnltesimal. They do not affect the BBM prlco which consumers paj for any- B thing. They do very little except to B gather data for Investors, which BBa would not get dono If there wcro no B i such commission, nnd probably get K Jono Jllst ns well. H And, like all the other commls- B (Ions, It Is u hotbed of politics BBR.1 It docs not pay the people to tax B, themselves so hcnvlly to accomplish R"c'1 wnrlc ss tho Commission does. H" And, oven If thcro wero pecuniary B l;nl"p ll wuld ho far outweighed by Hr I ho moral Injury Involved In support- H1 Ing such a powerful personal politic- H nl machlno at tho tnxpajers expense. Hi Six hundred and soveuty thousand B dollars a year Is n lot of money to BBS spend for such a purpose. BBB Doubtless, tho Ilallioad Commls- H, ulou costs tho people more than nuy BBB other single commission, but nil tho R others mcasuro up to tho full limit K I of their opportunities. Wo havo n K govcrument of commissions mid by BBB commissions nnd for commissions. H Tho Railroad Commission Is merely H tho most costly of tho lot. 1 All that is necessary or doslrablo to bo accomplished by all those com- 1 missions can bo dono at -a vastly B smaller cost to tho taxpayers. |