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FORMAL MATTERS.

Railways. In the period covered by this report there were filed 114 formal complaints against railway companies, covering a wide range of subjects, and in addition to this 7 formal investigations involving railway companies were undertaken by the Commission. The complaints filed are roughly classified as follows:

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Utilities. In the above mentioned period there were 83 formal complaints, investigations and other formal matters affecting utilities. They may be roughly classified as follows:

Rates...

Application to increase, modify or equalize rates.
Valuation of property....

Investigations upon motion of Commission..

Total...

21

42

13

INFORMAL MATTERS.

The informal complaints and other informal matters affecting railways and other utilities, as shown in the above table, number 673. These matters relate to a wide variety of subjects, and questions of considerable importance have been handled in an informal way. As was stated in previous reports, frequent adjustments of differences existing between the public and the corporations have been arrived at through the medium of the Commission, with results satisfactory to the parties interested. This is particularly the case so far as it relates to railways, the settlement of a large number of claims against carriers having been facilitated in this way.

The informal matters are roughly classified as follows:

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Request or complaints - side tracks and spur tracks..

Express rates and service.

Checking baggage

Minimum rates and charges.
Rates on coal...

Reports of accidents.

Miscellaneous

Utilities.

Total..

Complaints against telephone companies ....

167

10

19

36

10

101

35

17

15

30

7

11

14

38

10

24

6

12

6

3

6

5

83

673

53

Complaints against electric light, heating and water companies....

25

Informal applications relating to rates.

6

Various informal investigations concerning rates and other informal matters..

162

Total.....

246

COMPLAINTS RELATING TO EXCESSIVE FREIGHT CHARGES.

The last legislature passed sec. 1797-37m, Laws of 1907, providing in substance that within six months after the delivery of any shipment of freight at destination, any person aggrieved may complain to the Commission that the charge exacted for the transportation of such freight between points in Wisconsin is unusual or exorbitant, and gave this Commission jurisdiction to investigate such charges and to make an order authorizing the railway companies to settle such claims if the rates charged are found to have been unusual or exorbitant. Under this section 16 complaints were filed, which were heard, and 10 decisions were rendered thereon ordering refunds.

Many of the complaints filed under this section are the result of a lack of ordinary care and diligence on the part of the

shippers. Shipments, in many cases, were made without any inquiry whether or not there were commodity rates in effect, and in many cases the companies would have put such rates into ef fect if application had been made to them.

Some of these complaints have been for insignificant sums and the cost directly incurred by the state has been in some cases in excess of the amount of the alleged overcharge. Some limitation should, perhaps, be placed upon the Commission's jurisdiction. The amount might be limited to not less than a specified sum, and a suggestion to this effect is made under the head of changes in legislation.

UTILITIES. SURRENDER OF FRANCHISE. INDETERMINATE PFRMITS.

Under the provision of sec. 1797m-77, ch. 499, Laws of 1907, any public utility, being at the time a corporation duly organized under the laws of the state of Wisconsin, operating under an existing license, permit or franchise, shall, upon filing at any time prior to July 1, 1908, with the clerk of the municipality which granted such franchise, receive, by operation of law, in lieu thereof, an indeterminate permit. The filing of such declaration shall be deemed a waiver by such public utility of the right to insist upon the fulfillment of any contract theretofore entered into relating to any rate, charge or service.

An indeterminate permit is defined to mean and embrace every grant, directly or indirectly from the state, to any corporation, company, individual, association of individuals, their lessees, trustees or receivers appointed by any court whatsoever, of power, right or privilege to own, operate, manage or control any plant or equipment or any part of a plant or equipment within this state for the production, transmission, delivery or furnishing of heat, light, water or power, either directly or indirectly, to or for the public, which shall continue in force until such time as the municipality shall exercise its option to purchase or until it shall be otherwise terminated according

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to law."

The following is a list of corporations which filed notices of surrender of franchise with the Commission and which obtained, in lieu thereof, an indeterminate permit, together with the date on which such notices were filed and the location of the corporation:

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City Water Company

Milwaukee.

Marinette.

Sheboygan.

9. 12/3/07

10. 12 4/07

11. 12/21/07

12. 12/17/07 11/08 2/18, 08

Milwaukee Central Heating Co..

Appleton.

Mineral Point.
Chilton.

Menominee & Marinette Lt. & Traction Co. Marinette.
Mineral Point Electric Light Co..
Wisconsin Electric Service Co..
North Milwaukee Light & Power Co.
Northwestern Iron Co...

Dodgeville Electric Light & Power Co..
Platteville Electric Light & Power Co....
Falls Light & Power Co.....
Waukesha Gas & Electric Co.,
Equitable Electric Light Co..

13.

14.

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Portage American Gas Co....

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West Bend Heating & Lighting Co..
Washburn Electric Light & Power Co..
Darlington Electric Light & Power Co.
Racine Water Co...

Rhinelander Lighting Co.

Manitowoc Water Works Co.. Manitowoc Electric Light Co.. La Crosse Gas & Electric Co.. 6/23/08 City Water Works... 30. 6/25/08 31. 6/25/08

29.

6/25/08
6/29 08
6/29/08

6 29 08

Medford Light & Heating Co.
Merrill Railway & Lighting Co.
(Correcting surrender No. 23)...
Superior Water, Light & Power Co.
Lake Geneva Water & Light Co...
Minahan Building Co...

Citizens' Gas Co..

N. Milwaukee.
Mayville.
Dodgeville.
Platteville.
Sheboygan Falls.
Waukesha.
Lake Geneva.
Portage.
Cashton.

West Bend.
Washburn.

Darlington.
Racine.
Rhinelander.
Manitowoc.
Manitowoc.
La Crosse.
Merrill.
Medford.
Merrill.

Superior.

Lake Geneva.
Green Bay.

Burlington.

Plankinton Electric Light & Power Co... Milwaukee.
Wells Power Co..........

Milwaukee.

Glenwood & Downing Light & Power Co.. Glenwood.
Chippewa Falls Water Works & Lighting Co Chippewa Falls.
Kaukauna Gas, Electric Light & Power Co. Kaukauna.
Kankauna Gas, Electric Light & Power Co.

32.

33.

34.

35.

36.

6/29/08

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Eau Claire.

Chippewa Valley Ry. Light & Power Co..
Menominee & Marinette Lt. & Traction Co. Marinette.
Campbellsport Electric Light & Power Co, Campbellsport.

Beaver Dam Fuel & Light Co..

Little Chute.
Portage.

Beaver Dam.

Beloit.

Sparta.

Viroqua

Ripon.

INFORMAL INVESTIGATIONS.

In another part of this volume will be found references to formal investigations begun by the Commission on its own motions. The most of these have been followed by hearings and published decisions, and therefore slight reference is made to them in this volume.

In addition to these, other important investigations, relating to every department of the Commission's work, have been carried on informally. Reference is made to some of them in the discussion of the work performed by the engineering department, which can be found on another page.

Tariff Department.--Informal investigations have been made by the tariff department at the instance of complainants, which have resulted satisfactorily to the parties interested. This is particularly true of the matter of claims for overcharges against carriers. Every complaint submitted has been thoroughly investigated with relation to the rates and the applications made by the companies in determining their charges. This has been observed both as to intra- and inter-state business, the only limitation, so far as interstate traffic is concerned, being the fact that in many cases the files of tariff issues of foreign railways are incomplete. In cases of this kind, where the information was not at hand, the matters have been submitted to the interstate commerce commission and the necessary data secured. These investigations have resulted in frequent adjustments of claims which the carriers had heretofore declined.

Railway Weights and Scales.-The Railroad Commission Law was amended at the last session of the legislature, requiring every railway to correctly weigh all freight shipped, on actual weight, and to correctly weigh all empty cars when freight was shipped in carload lots, and this Commission was given the power to test the weights made by the railways and the scales used in weighing freight or cars under these provisions. The matter of railway weights and scales has received a thorough, but informal investigation. Representatives of the Commission have personally tested the track scales in every part of the state, and while they have been generally found in excellent condition, still the attention of the railways was promptly called to each scale that was found to be defective in any particular, and the

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