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

l1Bht, mel and power electric and
gan rates were discussed before the
rrnncil' last night for nearly three
honrs. The committee adjourned to
meet ngain next Tuesday night, when
The facts and llgnres presented will
be examined ana nm effort TO agree
l'npn n clause In the licenac tax or.
dlliance covering electric and gas
companies Will he mnhe
Captain Berkeley, representing the
Joint committee of the Merchants
association and Chamber OF Com
MERGE, who are making II fight against
J the recent Increase IN light ana pow.
or rites, addressed the committee NJ
length IN support az his contention
that the companies are making unjus,
chnrges and that the council should
rognlale the rites.
Mr.. w i, irayne. president OF tho
Citizens Railway. Light and Power
Company and of the Newport News
Gas Company, replied to Captain
iierkeley and he, too, presented n great
many fncts and ilgirea in support of
hia contention that the light and pow
es rates are lower here thnn In other
{ citleasof the stnte,
Special Rates to a Few.
In the course of the argument. inst
4 ltsfOre the committee adjourned, an In.
teresting fact was brought out.
Captain Berkeley said that lie In
formed by Meyers Bros. that the new
rates would make an increase of he
4 tween $500 and 5000 a year In the
amount paid by that firm for lights
md power Mr.. Payne then state |
\ that Meyers Bros, the Warwick Ma.
chine Works and one or two other
concerns had been paying an abnor-
innlly low rate, q cents per kilo
watt hour, since the days or the Con-
aimers, Light, Heat & Ice Company
and until the recent change in dis-
coiint3 wa3 made. Several Of tho
committeeman asked whether or not
Mr. Payne meant to say that four
consumers had been given speciai
rates. lower than those paid by other
Z custcmers, MI. Payne replied in the
affirmative, and said that he knew that
II was not proper 10 make such rates
( thar they never should have been al
lowed ana that he had intended cor
reGting them even before II was done.
Mr.. NJ, H. Lash. who md been lie.
icner throughout the hearing, said to
tho committee that he had been pay :
Ing at the rate OF 10 cents per kilo
fyntt hour for power uaed by him. and
denlanded in the name Of Justice. to
know whether 1t was right for the
compnny 10 give n rate of 3 q cents
10 other consumers. Mr.. Payne repli-
cd. saying that he agreed with every :.
thing Mr.. Lash had said.
In Court Room.
On account of the number of peo-
pie present TO hear the discussion, the
committee held It's meeting in the
Corporation Court room. Present
we're Chairman j. Winston Read, Mes
srs. West, Ford. Robinson r. Lee
Davis ana Or. Hoskins.
Mr.. .. u. Batcllelor, representing
Manager Henley. of the Southern
Bell Telephone Company, appeared
before the committee and asked for
q hearing in regard to the proposed
increase In the license tax upon tele.
phone companies. II was agreed 10
: give the company hearing ON tho
might of Tuesday. April z.
u was proposed TO change the
license tax on gardens where beeg
alone Is Sold from $3.50 TO $3.50. II
was agreed that this was necessary
for the protection of regular saloon
Keepers who will have TO pay the pro.
posed total license tax of S1,025.
Captain BerkeIey's Statement.
Captain berkeley opened his state
mebt by calling attention TO the fact
thar the Newport News Company had
violated Il provision of its charter by
= charging Sl-4Os per thousand feet Tor
illuminating gas after June /. 1907,
and said that the charter could be for.
feiied on this account. The chairman