The San Francisco call., 1907-06-02
History of Opposition

Q.-The only debts you had were the
debts of the San Francisco gas and
electric. Ayes, sir, and the business
continued just the same today; the
Pacific gas and electric company was
holding company which was organ
ized and owned a majority of the stock
of the California gas and electric
owning companies that operated in the
central part of the state. but not in
San Francisco.
Q.-There is gas company operat-
ing in San Francisco furnishing gas
at a lower price than you do? Al
don't know about that. They are fur
nishing at a lower price at a loss of
$685. 600 last year. The gas costs them
and they sold at 75 cents. that is their
sworn statement. The start of that
opposition was due to patented pro-
cess for manufacturing gas and by
products in the use of coke and coal,
and they had a contract with our COM
pany which expired some three years
ago for selling gas wholesale. They
didn't renew their contract these peo-
pie had the plant on their hands and in
order to realize something on it they
started to expound 1t and thought they
could make themselves enough of a
nuisance to our company to. be bought
up. In consequence the only way they
could be a nuisance was to sell to con-
sumers at less price
Q.-Today below cost they are SELL
ing It? A.-Absolutely, yes, sir, in the
hope of getting something out of their
first investment which amounted to a
squarter of million; put in million
since and still losing.
Q.-What are Mr.. Conlisk's duties? ?
A.-Controller of the San Francisco gas
and electric company.
Q-What are his duties? A--Prac-
tically, you might say. auditor. He is
superior officer to the auditor and vises
the expenditures. He has no authority
TO sign checks, but he vises the gen.
eral office arrangements and forms and
method of accounts and things of that
kind.
Q.-who is your auditor? .A--Mr. j.
II. Butler. same auditor had for sew
eral years; was there when we took
over the company. Mr.. Barrett has
been there many years
| Q.-was Mr.. Britton the only one
who did rot protest against the fixing
of the rates? Al didn't say he
didn't protest After analyzing, he
reached the conclusion we might be
able to meet that by rigid economy
rather than go to a fight. We volun-
tarily reduce rates when we can In
fact, in Oakland there never has been
| rate fixing; when petition went IN
before that board year ago, the
board appointed q committee to inves-
tigate as to the rates charged com
pared to cities of the same size; they
reported back unanimously, whereas.
the rates charged by the Oakland gas,
light and heat company are fair tc
the consumer and company, and.
whereas, the company has always vol
unfairly made reductions without any
process of law in the past, and, whereas,
the fixing of rates leads to hostile liti-
CATION as evidenced by the experience
with Contra Costa water, as long as
the company performed their duties,
there was no necessity in fixing rates;
that was passed unanimously a year
ago. We bought that company and the
rate was then $3.50. this was in 1908,
The rate was $3.50 for lighting gas and
s1.25 for fuel gas; we reduced 1t vol
unfairly to $1.00 for fuel gas and $1.25
for lighting, a reduction of 25c. We
made a reduction to 90c for fuel and
$115 for illumination, and then re-
duced it this year illumination S1.00.
AS fast as we can consistently reduce
or increase the use Of it, and while we
lose Immediately we make 1t up in the
end and treat the public fairly, it has
been our policy, through the central
part of the state.