The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-07-17
! MAYOR WILL GIVE
OPINION ON RATES
OF PLANT MONDAY
. Some Councilmen Believe
City Light Rates Should
Be Lowered.
-
"A HEARING IN SEPT.
Zimmerman Now in Favor of
City's Paying For Its
Street Lighting.
! A HEARING IN SEPT

The city light plant will seek a
hearing from the public utilities COM
mission in September according to
plan of Superintendent Nimrod John
son and City Attorney Will Bond.
The purposes of the hearing will
be to settle any disputes arising over
contracts, joint poles, right-of-ways
and other matters. The question of
q downward revision of the rates may
also be brought before the commits
sion but this has not been definitely
decided, as yet, and will be brought
before the councilmen for their views.
The city light plant and the Light,
Heat and Power company. hold many
Joint contracts with companies in the
city and any question as to these will
be settled. The question of running
q joint pole system through certain
parts of the city will be brought up
/ for the decision of the commission.
! Superintendent Johnson does not
want the hearing to be before Septem-
ber as the light plant is very busy
at present. Part of the new machin-
cry will have been installed at the
plant by September.
: The question of lowering the light
plant rates for electricity has been
before council several times prior to
the formation of the public service
commission but no action was taken
towards a revision of the rates. When
the public service law was passed
the councilmen believed that the mat
ter should be left entirely to the COM
mission.
Talk on Rates Monday.
Mayor Zimmerman refused to COM
NIT himself on the matter today, but
announced that he will talk on the
subject at council Monday night. Su-
perintendent Nimrod Johnson. while
he formerly stated that he was in
favor of lowering the light plant
rates, refused to express himself to-
day but stated that he wants the pub
lie service commission to go over the
plant and decide the question.
The councilmen are divided on
whether the rates should be lowered.
Several of them believe the present
rates are fair while others say that a
1h cent or cent reduction per kilo-
watt should be made.
May Make City Pay.
There seems to be no doubt among
city officials that the commission will
require that the city pay for the street
and city lighting at the same rate that
is charged other consumers. Mayor
Zimmerman stated that he is in favor
of this and will recommend 1t to coun.
ell If the commission does not make
the ruling Immediately.
An entire revision of the bookkeep
ing system of the light plant is neces
sary on account of the complex re-
ports required monthly by the com
mission. A form is being prepared
by the commission and every public
service corporation in the state will
be obliged to keep its books on the
same system.
Must Get New Books.
The light plant has not adopted the
new form as the commission has not
sent full explanations of the require
-ments. 1t will cost the light plant
and other public utilities of the city
hundreds of dollars to change the
bookkeeping as new books must be
printed for every department. of which
there will be many more than former
1y. according to the ruling of the com
mission.