INDEX-DIGEST ABANDONMENT Abandonment of a certain telephone line in town of Vernon, Waukesha County, by Prospect, Guthrie & Big Bend Tel. Co., authorized, page 16. For abandonment of industry trackage and lines of railroad, see, RAILROADS, I. of street railways, see, STREET RAILROADS, I. Proceedings involving abandonment of a toll bridge over Chippewa River by City of Durand, pages 460, 466. ACCOUNTING Accounting treatment to be accorded the purchase price in re acquisition Fred Kuhn Tel. Co. by Caroline Tel. Co., designated, page 329. Order certifying to Wisconsin Hydro Electric Co. a reasonable minimum depreciation expense of $75,000, to be charged annually to "Depreciation Expense," and concurrently credited to "Depreciation Reserve," page 374. Uniform system of accounts for Class A and Class B electric utilities having in excess of $50,000 of annual gross revenues, revised, page 49. Uniform system of accounts for Class C electric utilities, revised, page 520 et seq. Charging uncollectibles I. PROCEDURE 1. Proper accounting procedure provides for charging each year's operations with revenues estimated as uncollectible from that year's business. Appl. Door County Tel. Co. to Revise Rates, 395, 396. Municipal utilities-Transfer of funds 2. The statutes are specific in requiring that the funds of a utility be used to meet the needs of the utility first, and allowing the transfer of such funds to the general fund only when there is an excess over and above the needs of the utility.-Invest. Electric Rates, City of Clintonville, 417. ACQUISITION OF UTILITIES For municipal purchase cases, see, MUNICIPALITIES, II. Proceedings involving proposal of village of Plain to sell its electricutility property to Wisconsin Power and Light Co., page 730. [ 761 ] AGENCY STATIONS See, RAILROADS, III-1 APPORTIONMENT Apportionment of operating expenses of telephone utility to switched subscribers, page 391. ASSESSMENTS Order involving assessment of costs of investigations by Commission to railroads under Section 196.85 (1), Statutes, page 464. Tax assessments against motor carrier, page 710. BRIDGES For overhead bridges, see, RAILROADS, III-1(c). Proceedings involving abandonment of a toll bridge over Chippewa River by city of Durand, pages 460, 466. BUS SERVICE See, MOTOR CARRIERS BY-PASS Use of designated by-pass by motor carriers operating over authorized routes in city of Milwaukee, page 709. CEMENT Order involving extension of cement-hauling operations by contract motor carrier, page 654. (See, also, 15 P.S.C. of W. 238) CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE Issuance of in connection with an application for approval of assignment of interstate motor-carrier authority-force of, page 608. CERTIFICATE OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued to Elk Creek Lake, Inc., under date of February 29, 1932, authorizing it to extend service in Eau Claire and Dunn Counties, canceled, page (See, also, 1 P.S.C. of W. 826) 454. CHEESE Transportation of cheese by contract motor carrier from and to points in Sheboygan County, authorized, page 234. CLEARANCES For exemption from statutory provisions with respect to track clearances, see, RAILROADS, IV-1. COMMISSION I. JURISDICTION, POWERS, AND DUTIES Electric utilities-Extension of facilities 1. It is not within the Commission's authority to direct the village to purchase its energy nor to direct the purchase of any particular make of engine from any particular person. The village having determined to obtain its supplemental energy by a Diesel, the Commission can inquire only as to whether public convenience and necessity will be served by the installation of the plant and as to whether that means of generation will impose a hardship or an undue burden upon the consumers of the utility within Muscoda.-Appl. Vill. of Muscoda to Install Generating Unit, 658, 660. Moving of lines 2. No Commission approval or authorization was required for the proposed moving of an existing transmission line which had never been used to serve customers along its route where the utility was operating in both the towns in which the line was standing and was to be located after it was moved, the Commission concluding that the proposed procedure constituted neither an abandonment of facilities nor of service by a utility.—Appl. Grimh Power Co. to Extend Lines, 684, 687. Municipal sales of utilities-Section 66.06 (13) (c)—Court interpretation 3. Interpreting its views of "best interests," the Supreme Court points out (193 Wis. 232, 1927) that the Commission in considering the sale of municipal-utility property must find whether or not the proposed sale is of advantage to the municipality, which determination must necessarily include a consideration of plant efficiency, past history, future prospects, rates for and quality of service, future rates and service if plant is sold, and other like matters.-In re Proposal Sale of Electric Utility Property by Village of Plain, 730, 732. Railroad rates-Determination reasonableness and refunds 4. Section 195.37, Statutes, provides that if the Commission shall find that any charge exacted by a railroad for the transportation of freight is erroneous, illegal, unusual, or exorbitant, it shall find what would have been a reasonable charge, and if that is less than what was exacted, the railroad shall refund the excess.-Conway v. C. & N.W. Railway Co., 508, 510. Rate determination—Grouping of communities 5. The Commission is authorized by Section 196.03 (2), Statutes, to group communities for rate-making purposes.-Vill. of Kohler v. Wisconsin Public Service Corp., 295, 301. Signal system-Public safety 6. Since the statutes which confer jurisdiction upon the Commission to pass upon mechanical operating installations relate only to the question of public safety, in approving or disapproving such installations as a remote-control system, as herein proposed, the Commission must base its determination solely upon the question of public safety, despite objections that such installation would be "unsocial" in that it might displace railroad employees.-Appl. C. M. St. P. & P. R. R. Co. for Approval Plans Traffic Control Installation, 753, 755. Status under Chapter 17, Laws of 1937 7. Under Chapter 17, Laws of 1937, the Commission is merely an agency with which a co-operative association incorporated under Chapter 185, Statutes, to give electric service to its members shall make appropriate filings under the statute in order to reserve certain territory, its only duty being to place such documents on file for the information of utilities which may be affected thereby.-In re Proposal Wisconsin Public Service Corp. to Extend Lines, 724, 727. II. PROCEDURE Motor carriers-Assignment of interstate authority 8. In view of the apparent conflict between the assignor and the assignee as well as stockholders of the assignee corporation, the application in this case for approval of assignment of interstate authority was set for hearing although, since the enactment of the Federal Motor Carrier Act it has not been the Commission's practice to hold hearings on applications for assignment of interstate authorities.In re Certificate Assignment-Arthur Enzmann, 607, 608. Motor-carrier service co-ordination of schedules 9. Although the Commission has not generally undertaken to coordinate schedules on its own initiative, feeling that if the traffic warranted it the interests of the carriers would result in adoption of proper schedules, it may be called upon, however, by any interested carrier, shipper, or other party in interest by proper petition to coordinate schedules so as to provide reasonably adequate service. -Appl. Albert Wiesman to Amend Certificate, 512, 515. CONNECTION CHARGES Need for connection charges in telephone-rate schedule, page 496. CONSERVATION Creation of water reservoir within Dandy Creek Drainage District for conservation purposes, page 627. |