Los Angeles herald., 1908-02-29
ORGANIZE PUBLIC
UTILITY YASSOCLA TON
FIVE THOUSAND PERSONS TO
STORM CITY HALL
Resolutions Are Adopted Demanding
Five Cents an Hour lncandescent
Light-Permanent Off
GERS Elected

The public utility association was
organized last night in Attorney Rob-
ert Loucks' Office and its committees
will endeavor to induce 5000 persons
to storm the city hall Monday and
demand 5-cent-per-hour incandescent
light.
Stirring resolutions We're adopted
voicing this and similar sentiments
after organization was effected by the
election of the following officers:
President-Henry Blenkiron.
Vice Presidential. e. Wiley.
Secretary-L. D. Cannon.
Temporary Secretary-J. F. Paulding
Regardless of rain enough interested
consumers visited the StimSon block
to crowd Mr.. Loucks' office, where
the meeting was called. For two hours
the discussion continued.
Praise Hewitt and Mushet
All present spoke, much praise being
given City Attorney Hewitt and City
Auditor Mushet for their ability III
taking care of the peoples interests.
The sentiment was expressed that
capitalists and large consumers of cleo
tricity pay the companies as low as
u cent for kilowatt hour, while small
consumers pay 8 cents.
The Huntington influence in the Pa
cific Light and Power company is
strong, the speakers said, as a result
of which the Pacific electric line gets
it's power at the bedrock rates.
Harriman's Los Angeles-Pacitic sys-
TEN also gets concessions through con-
troll of directors in the Edison COM
pany.
Fear TroIIey-EIectric Merger
The resolution expressed fear that
all trolley and electric interests arc
being merged into one vast system,
which will bear hard on small con-
sumers.
MANY millions are being filched
from the pockets of consumers" the
resolutions say, land pooled in the
large political pot of the Southern Pa
cifc system, which is always kept boil
ing"
The resolutions state that the rich
men need no protection, as they can
put in plants of their own If rates
are too high. Yet the small business
men and residenters have no relief but
the city council
Remedies cited to the council why
low rates are necessary are to kill the
political giant when he is young; post
pone action until the people can all
he heard from, and fix the price at a
limit where the company will still have
a profit though materially cutting the
schedule TO 5 cents an hour.
Some women were present at last
nights meeting and tonight women
especially are invited
Confer in Mayors Office
ia a
at the city hall between Acting Mayor
Pease. City Attorney Hewitt and City
Auditor Mushet over the lighting rate
situation the meeting broke up with
out a decision.
The question will be threshed out
again on the floor % the council cham
ber on Monday, and possibly laid over
another week.
From remarks made by councilmen
last night it is believed that the gem
tlemens agreement will be ignored
and the council will vote to reduce the
electric rate from 0 cents to cents
per kilowatt hour.
The agreement made by party OF
councilmen in Mayor Harpers office
year ago was to the effect that rates
would be left at cents for three years,
the promise having been made after
a showing of poverty by the public
utility companies.
Most of the councilmen now say that
they are satisfied the agreement was
a mistake. was Illegal and should not
be allowed to act as buffer now.
And the highest authority in the
council said last night that it will not
Though the lighting officials claimed
to us last year that they were LOSING
money at their rates. they were willing
to keep on losing for three years. we
see it in a different light now," said
this informant.