Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-03-01
Complaints Against
Public Service Are
Dismissed.
3 WEST HUDSON TOWNS
AND MONTCLAIR AFFECTED.
Decision Reserved on Clause
Governing Deficiencies
in Current.
IFrom star Correspondent l

TRENTON. n. j., March LIN a
report issued today the State Board
of Public Utilities Commission ex-
Fonerates the Public Service Corpora
ton of the charge that 1t has been
unjust and unreasonable in regards
to its rates for municipal street light
ing. A number of North Jersey mu-
inequalities Joined in the charges
against the corporation and thor
ough investigation was made by the
State Commission.
The commission reserves decision
as to the clauses in the Public Service
Electric company's standard con-
tract which imposes upon municipal
tiles the task of ascertaining def
ciencies in current contracted for,
particularly over and above the actual
lamp outages which the police of
the various municipalities are re-
quired to discover and report
In dismissing the charges Of ex
cessive charges and unjust discrimi-
nation the commission says
The schedule of rates to munich
palities for street lighting submitted
by the Public Service Electric Com
pany shows a total net decrease of
800. 200.9S. While increases are made
in the charges to some of the mu-
inequalities served, the total of these
increases is small, as compared with
the total OF reductions, and the board
does not deem the increases sufficient
cause for setting aside the schedule
which, it is held, will not, as whole,
bring to the company an unreasona-
BILE return on a reasonable or legti-
mate investment.
sliding Scale Not discriminatory.
THE investment cost of conduits
and pole lines which should be al
'stted to street lighting service pro-
,ce- "A lower average cost perrlamp
>or a municipality with large num-
Der of lamps as compared with n1u-
nicipality having smaller number
"A sliding scale rate granting lower
rates for larger installations is not
unduly discriminatory or preferential,
but a uniform price to all munich
palitieS irrespective of the number of
lamps and without reference to the
terms of the contract would be un-
duly discriminatory.
"The complaints alleging excessive
charges and unjust discrimination are
dismissed
On December 16, 1911, the township
of Raritan filed complaint with the
board. contending that the rates for
street lighting, which the Public Serv-
ice Electric Company proposed to
charge the township, were excessive
and higher than rates offered an ad-
jacer.t municipality for service. On
of the commission the COM
pany produced a new schedule of
rates and an investigation into the
Justice and reasonableness of the
schedule was instituted.
West Hudson Towns Complain.
The town of Kearny on May 49,
1912, presented a complaint, alleging
that the application of the new scheo
ule to that municipality was unfair
owing to the fact that net rate per
lamp as charged Kearny would be
higher than the resultant net rate
charged the city of Newark. The
town of Harrison also presented a
along the same lines. The
of East Newark Joined with
Harrison and Kearny in the COM
plant.
The State Board extended the scope
of it's proceedings and permitted any
affected to become a
party to the complaint. As a result
Montclair, the borough of Roselle
Park and the city of Jersey City
Joined with the complainants and
were represented at number of
hearings given by the commission.
The report of the State Board is ex-
haustive and deals extensively with
the cost of production to the COM
pany and the fairness of the rates to
The report takes up the subject Of
ownership competition in
street lighting, but does not think
that the result of this shows that the
Public Service Company has been nn-
BILE in the matter of rates.
Ir discussing this subject the reoort
says:
while 1t may be agreed that such
a rate, based on average costs. would
be- suffi ciently low to meet municipal
ownership competition (and perhaps
Il would be If actual cost Of munich
pal ownership were considered). it
must be borne in mind that many
Of the estimates of cost of munici-
pally owned plants are pared by en-
sineers and others whose interest
solely lines in the establishment Of
such plants. A differential rate, fair
in it's application. must therefore be
made TO protect the interests of all
the company's customers, large and
small. commercial and municipal"