The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-25
LIGHTING
 INQUIRY Marked by Record Exhibi- tion of Forgetting" by Superintendent Paul TAX PAYERS PRESS ELECTRIC MONOPOLY President of Company Out of State and It's Accounts
 In New Haven City Pays More for Current Than Customers Using
 Lesser Amounts

L
 Unfortunate for the United Il1umin- , ating company of this city and New Haven was the day when it threat ened the Rowland Dry Goods com pany with the pains and penalties of l by the General Assembly.
 The special committee of the Coun- 1, ell. appointed to inquire into the re- lations between the city and the conn pany in the matter of the charges Common Council chamber and the decks of the ship of state were cleared for an action that Is soon to follow. The evening was hot and the windows were open. A hurdy gurdy played music that most have still further lac erated the feelings of the representa- tives of the United Illuminating com pany, who are unused to the indignity 1 of being rudely dragged, so to speak, { into police precincts, to be clubbed and searched for the goods. But so it was. and so apparently it will be for one or two evenings yet to come
 Trolley cars, and the perhaps ex- cessfve courtesy Of the committee, made last nights proceedings some what tedious and extended them 1 greatly in time. But Stiles Judson, 8lAIS 5 dllOIucy, WAO IcPIcSCAlcO lSA- payers who own property listed at more than a million dollars, managed | to break the tedium occasionally with a trenchant question. or a pointed ac- cusation.
 ! That public service corporations or of a like character and of one blood kin was shown plainly enough All I Of the phenomena that have attended the investigation of greater corpora | tions were present, and some new displays of reluctance not heretofore classified were exhibited.
 The committee had asked for a statement of the cost of manufactur- ing electricity and producing city lights For answer statement was dIed which had been prepared by President English.
 There were the figures there. but no President English Judge A.Beers, who IS vics president of the company declared &hat MT. English is out of the state lnd indicated that it will be difficult to secure his attendance.
 Under these circumstances that 1m- posing array of figures was about az valuable to the people of Bridgeport and to the committee as would be aa exposition Of the process of sQuarfng the circle dsmonsfra1sd in Mars, tnst .s wanted by the committee, and that was needed to throw light upon the price Of electric light seemed to have been carefully hung up so high that
 
 MT. English was out of the state. where were the books? Bless the booksi They were not kept in Bridgeport, but in New Havep. But Judge Beers as one of the best experts of electricity In the country.
 Then Chairman Day, the head of the committee. glanced again toward Judge Beers and his face lighted with grafihcation- He saw MT. Paul. MT. Paul is the local manager of the United Illuminating Company. In him is embodied ell that anybody in ing and then some But, alas and a1ack! MT. Paul was afflicted with sudden and strange malady. He had lost his memory. He had also ac- sfitious reverence for those whom the Lord had placed in authority over him when he entrusted the manage ment of the United Illuminating Com New York and elsewhere who are too profoundly Christian not to make one talent produce at least ten more.
 Mir. Paul could not remember the lighting company in this city after
 He could not remember the rates which these customers paid the com
 He could not tell the cost per kilo watt hour of producing the city's lights.
 He could not name the custodian of the books of the company.
 Between questions he looked pathe- tically at Judge Beers and his lips from time to time moved inquiringly. Judge Beers however, lawyer and ethical, was obliged to turn his back upon his subordinate and leave him to struggle on alone.
 Mir. Judson did however feel obliged finally to demand that the witness answer the question put to him, with out having recourse to counsel. prior
 Despite the absence of President English and MT. Paufs forgetfulness ray of informing light peeked through crevices in the inquiry from
 For instance it appeared that there Is at least one customer for electricity who gets his supply at cents per kilowatt hour. The city pays prob ably in the neighborhood of eight cents and is much larger customer.
 Also little flaw appeared in the statement of President English The Congress street station is not entirely 1fxlt It makes a large quantity of light for territory which MT. Paul de- med as suburban areas" MT. Jud- son implies that his clients are in of maint aiming the Congress street station has been charged against the city lighting.
 At any rate the figure will not go nnchalIenged- Upon the request of 7fr Judson the committee has asked fba United illuminating Company to 6flne m its books. If they are not brouE1< in a subpoeana will probably 6o Id1aed for an the books within the dfcf1ou of the committee.
 65lr1 futuxe hearin< 1Er- 5udson