Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-03-28
MIR. Payne,s Reply.

NOSE cnurge1 In l,i;S ci.y. The COM
larison was not u fair inc, Tor the
conditions in Norfolk could net he
compared with thc conditions here.
lie went on to say iliat lhn No. sulls
company. with n gross income VI
Si25,OOO. from The light aid power
business. paid .icens. lax Of only
$1,000, with no polo tax. while tho
local company. with n gross income
oil Sf3.OO0 phys under The present or-
dinaice 5000 in icense lax ana 81 1877
In avs or poles.
MI Payne said that when he heard
That the merchants had started fight
on The light ANA power rate question,
Mr.. w. w. 8. Butler, general manager
of The local Company, wrote to COM
panies in number of other cities
for information IN regard to conditions
IN those cities. He submitted the
replies to this letter TO the committee
ana asked that they be considered.
Conditions In other Cities.
Some of the information read from
the letters by Nh. Payne was as fol-
lows:
Portsmouth, with gross receipts
about $4,000 less than the local COM
nany' pays Il license tax of $3.50. with
nj mole Tux.
The Richmond company. with to-
TAI income of S500.0n0. pays n license
'aX Of $500 ana pole tax of 50 per
pole. Most of the wires are under
ground. however AMI there are very
few poles
.fEhn poi
lioenae tax mud no pole lax.
Tie Manchester company pave no
license tax ana no pole tax
The Roanoke company no license
lax and no pole INK.
Majority Not Affected.
Mr.. Payne called attention 10 the
tact that large majority OF the con.
snmers were not affected by the re-
cent increase in rates. He said Mat
OF l'2S0 consumers paying for electric
light or power, 11O3 of that number
were not affected by the change.
He declared that the rates here are
lower than In 80 cities ont of 100.
Continuing. he declared that the Ci-
items Railway, Light and Power Com.
pany had never paid one cent In dIvi
dends. ana Invited the committee To
examine the books of the company at
any time.
Rates in Other cities.
From the letters submitted by Mfr.
Payne. the following information in
regard to rates In other cities, was
given:
In Roanoke the maximum rate Is 10
cents per kilo watt hour, in other
words, n man In Roanoke would pay
S12 for The same current furnished
here for So
In Pocahontas The maximum rate Is
10 cents per kilo watt hour with no
discount.
In Alexandria The rate is cents
per kilo watt hour. This rate IA
fixed in The franchise given ut the
time the city sold the lighting nlant
to private parties.
In l.ynchblrg. where water power
Is used. that maximum rate is II
cent, per lilo watt hour, with no dis
count
In Fredericksburg, where water
power is used. tho maximum rate Ia
10 cents per kilo watt hour.
In Danvlllc. where water mower 10
used by n municipal plant. the rate is
s cents per kilo watt hour for lllum-
mating current with a rate of 4 cents
for power.
Az Bedford City the rate is Is cents
per klo watt hour.
AT Farmville, the rate Ia 10 cents.
with the discount the same as Is given
gere
AT charlottesville. the maximum
rate Is Is cents. with lower rates to
larger consumers.
AT Bristol. the rate Is IL cents.
with n discount of per cert.
In Richmond, where water poyer
is used, the maximum rate Is 10 cents
per kllo watt hour. with various dis.
counts.
The following rates for the larger
cities were given: New York. I0
cents; Brooklyn, 12 cents; Chicago.
Ia and 20 cents; Baltimore. Is cents
Books Open to Committee.
Captain Berkeley asked several qnes.
tons about the company's income. as
TO whether the current furnished here
Is generated in the city, etc To all
OF these queries Mr. Payne answered
That the looks of the company were
open To the COMMITTEES ana that all
Of this information could be obtained
from them.
Captain Berkeley declared that the
rates charged in other cities had moth.
ing to do with this case: that because
other cities might do wrong, was no
reason why Newport News should fol.
low their example.
MIR, p NJ. f,raxton. counsel for the
railway and light companies. asked
whether or not the merchants who arc
behind this movement started the
Consumers Light. Heat and Ice Com
pany. and went up and down Wash
ington avenue making li.year contracts
TO fnrnish light at Ia cents per kilo