The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-06-14
No FURTHER
REDUCTION
Pacific Power and Light Company
Declines to Make Any Lower
Rates Than Announced
COMPLAINT TO BE
SENT TO OLYMPIA
Commission Replies to Telegram
Saying That on Receipt of
Proper Complaint They Would
Come Here to Afford Relief

The committee of taxpayers who
have had the matter in hand will
, send in a complaint to the public
utilities commi ssion, at Olympia. ask
ling for an examination of the books
and properties of the Pacific Pow r
&. Light company, and for relief from
what they believe to be oXorbitant
, water, power light and gas rates. A
reply to the telegram sent to the
commission on behalf of the taXpay-
ers by George J. Listmann on Thurs
day, was received Saturday, saying
plant the commission would come TO
North Yakima and make the examin-
alton and afford such relief as was
within their power.
Attorney Walker Moren. A mem Der
of the committee, has prepared the
com plant, which Will be considered
. by the committee at a meeting Mon
day and imme diatcly forwarded. so
that the work may be comm enced
here without delay. They feel that
! this should be done before July first.
when the power and light plant bonds
will be voted on at the special cleo
ton called for that date.
This action was decided on in view
of the ultimatum, made by the Pa
cifc Power & Light company Satur
day, to stand by the rate reduction
already made. The committee had
hoped that the company would make
ten cent rate and cut out the water
meter charges, but this hope was dis.
PEELED Saturday when Ira p. EnGlc-
hart, counsel for the company. re-
turned and submitted to an inter-
view covering the situation from the
Standpoint of his associates, with
whom he had been in consult ttion at
Portland since last Thursday.
Ira p. Englehart, OF the firm of
Englehart & Rigg. has returned
from Portland, Oregon, where he has
been in consultation with the officers
of the Pacific Power & Light COM
pany. In reply to question of re-
porter as to what if any further pro-
positions the p. p. e l.. Co. intend to
make to the city council. Mr.. En-
glehart said:
THE Pacific Power & Light Com
pany have gone as far as is possible
1t has no further concessions or
propositions to make. 1t believes it
has done the fair thing in the mat
ter Of reducing electric current rates
and that when the people of North
Yakima fully investigate the question
they Will be fair, and that if they
are fair they will not vote for a mun-
cipal electric light plant. This mat
ter has now come to be more or less
of business proposition. We believe
that we can successfully compete
with any electric light system con-
structcd according to the city en-
ginecr's plans, which plans are open
to many objections of which the fol-
lowing are a few:
"First-To make the proposed city
electric plant Il formidable competitor
and Il going concern, would require
an expenditure of at least $500, 900 or
$CN0 900. TO spend this amount of
money on an electric light plant
would burden the people of North
Yakima with a large tax levy and
prevent them from making many
necessary improvements for years to
come.
"Second-There will not be water
enough IN the Yakima river. after
taking out the stored waters which
viii be impoumdcd by the L, S. Rccla-
nation service. to operate the clty'S
plant for a large part of each cyar.
by stored water | mean that the re-
clamation service intends to impound