Bechman v. Board of Public Utility Commissioners
Bechman v. Board of Public Utility Commissioners
Opinion of the Court
This writ brings up for review an order of the board of public utility commissioners, dated December 27th, 1923,’ directing the prosecutors to stop'the operation of auto buses on Springfield avenue, Irvington, between the corner of Lyons and Springfield avenues in that town, and the comer of Forty-third street and Chancellor avenue therein, a distance of over half a mile.
The situation disclosed by the proofs is as follows: The prosecutors, with the consent of and under licenses granted by the' municipal authorities of the city of Newark and those of the town of Irvington, acquired prior to March 15th, 1921, had been operating, from the time of the giving of tliose' consents and the issuing of those licenses, up to the time'oí the making of the order complained of, a line of auto buses from the Hudson and Manhattan tube'station, in Newark, to the comer of Lyons and Springfield avenues, in Irvington. In the year 1922 the prosecutors were directed
The question presented for solution is whether or not the prosecutors are authorized to operate their auto- buses over the extension of their route without first obtaining the authority of the board of of public utility commissioners to do so. By the act of 1911 (Pamph. L. 1911, p. 374) the public utility hoard is vested with general supervision and regulation of and. jurisdiction and control over public utilities; but this jurisdiction did not then embrace the regulation -of and control over the operation of jitney Duses. In IS23, however, the original act creating the board was amended so as to include within its jurisdiction every individual, co-partnership, association, corporation or joint stock company that should then or thereafter own, operate, manage rr control within the State of Yew Jersey any “auto bus, commonly called jitney, the route of which, in whole or in part, parallel? upon the, same street the line of any street railway.” This jurisdiction was limited, however, by a provision in the amendment that nothing contained in it should “extend the powers of the board of public utility commissioners to include any supervision and regulation of, or jurisdiction and control over, the operation of any auto bus, commonly called jitney, over its present route under and in accordance with the consent of che municipal authorities granted therefor prior to March 15th, 1921.” Pamph. L. 1921, p. 390.
It is conceded by the prosecutors that both their original route and the extension thereof in the town of Irvington are located upon a street over which a street railway has been constructed and is now operated, and that such construction and operation long preceded the 15th of March, 1921. Yothwithstanding this fact, however, the prosecutors con
The order brought up by the writ will be affirmed.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- ALBRECHT BECHMAN v. BOARD OF PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSIONERS
- Status
- Published