The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-05-02
WILL RECOMMEND
TWO GAS RATES
D'AncOna and BrOderiCk Favor
Ten Cent Increase Over
Last Year
StipnlatiOns Attached TO COm=
promise Figure May Not
Please Company


Two gas rates viii be recommended
10 the board OF supervisors tomorrow
b. its artificial lights committee.
weighted with stipulations which the
gas company may not care 10 accept,
Chairman e. d 'Ancona viii propose a
''compromise" 95 cent rate. Broderick.
without making conditions, but as
senting TO the requirements of ID An-
coma, viii also favor a 10 cent increase
over last years enactment Johnston
VIII report in favor Of re-enacting the
. ordinance fixing an 50 cent rate.
AT the final committee meeting yes
terday D'Ancona stated the following
as tho stipulations upon agreement TO
which by the gas company he would
a recommend IS cent gas:
Should the company win the suit
pending i'm the federal court il shall
ron charge more than IS cents. and
shall refund 80 ID per cent of the 10
cent overctarse now being impounded-
should the company lose, Of course,
all Of the Is cent additional shall be
refunded
D.. Tie increase 10 IS cent shall not be
quoted in the pending litigation to the
prejudice of the city's So cent conten-
tion.
The company shah make needed ex-
tensions an the suburbs without, as at
present. charging the wouldbe con-
sumers for the installations.
The company shall file weekly re-
ports or as. ordered. giving in detail
AL complaints made, and it shall allow
free access. 10 all its books and &C
counts ~ the city's experts
D.Ancona said the consideration
1rh5cii. led hfm TO propose 80 cent
.rate. were: An So cent enactment would
be a paper" rate. the company con-
finufng 10 charge 81 under cover Of
the: ceiirt+ the item Of depreciation
which he held should be allowed, he
understood had not been considered in
hxipg.S5 cents as the Just rate. A 3
per- cent increase on the score of de-
spreciation he stated. would mean 9
cent addition to the rate. The increase
In the cost of oil from IS cents TO 81
per barrel meant 6.6S cents more added
10 cost.
Broderick gave quite different rea-
sons for reaching the same conclusion.
He agreed with D'AncOna on the depre-
ciat1on- argument, but thought the COM
pan4 should be nursed into ability TO
care Tor the people in the outskirts of
the city who have been without service.
Broderick assented to D'Ancons's pro-
possi that the above conditions should
be first required Of the company.
The chairman, then turning TO Super
vis0g' Johnston, said:
II ain aware that You differ from me
OH this :pfoposition: and 1 have great
RESPECT for Tour views.
..A1l = care to. say at this time. said
john .trl. rs that I must dissent from
tie: 1ilsr7oTiitz OF the, committee and that
shah RECOMMEND the re-enactment OF
1he's5 cent rate
That: rate. said Broderick, was
based on the boards experts appraise-
.ments that: the plant was worth 5000
O0O. The circuit court has already
taken tire view that it was worth $1S,-
Q0Q 0ee.s
:..lnoL.upon that basis has allowed a
Is: cent increase The judge accepted
this figure eff the company itself. Our
estffa&tc..&as that Of a disinterested
Gle. may have been biased
And Of course. the company's man
could: not make a mistake suggested
.Tohpston mildly.
eOh. wouldn't want to give the
cernBany more than s11:0O0,000 for the
plant said Broderick, and the discus
.sien~ ended.
All stlr5 members agreed to the re-
enactment ef the present electric light
rates" 70 which neither the company
nor.3he public has fled any objections.
III 3 SCARCELY likely that D'Ancona's
pzopositlcn viii muster the necessary
10-A-Q5fs tomorrow Several supervisors
expressed tile opinion that the city and
company. would have 10 settle either in
confr;orf out Of it, ana that the work
ing. conf promise" wouldn't work. john
ston,s position that the s. cent rate
was in fact liberal one. and neither
on. grounds of justice nor eXpediency
should be increased met with approval.