The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-09-26


Claims II is Unauthorized.
"SafdA Consumers Power company
therefore objects to the investigation
of its gas and electric rates assumed
by said commission and said city
upon the ground that the same is
wholly unauthorized, Illegal and in
effectual, and said Consumers Power
company further specially objects to
the jurisdiction and right of said city
and said commission to fix, deter
mine, or regulate the rates charged
by it in said city for gas for private
consumption upon the ground that
such rates are the subject of contract
and have been agreed upon and
determined by and between said
company and said city and in and
by the ordinance of said city known
as ordinance No. AZ granting GER
tain rights to C. w. Kanke and o.
C. McCurdy, the predecessors in ter
est of said Consumers Power COM
pany and cannot be altered
Why Objection is Made.
The above is signed by Consumers
Power company. The objection is
not made for the purpose of putting
a stop to the investigation, but is q
technical matter and for the purpose
of preserving the company's. legal
rights in case an adverse decision is
made by the commission.
City Attorney Arthur Schaub OPP
ened the first meeting of the newly
appointed rate commission this after
noon by explaining that 1T was the
duty of the commission to determine
fairly, honestly and impartially the
rates charged by the Consumers Pow
err company for their products, gas
and electricity. He especially. en-
phasized the fact that the investiga-
tons must and would be fair and inn
partial, and he said that there was
no disposition on the part of any
of the city officials to have the in
vestigation conducted in any other
way.
''In this matter" said the city at
torney," you gentlemen are before
is watching with interest the out
come of the investigation. You are
making history, for it's the first pro-
eeediRg OF it's kind in, the state. The
city will furnish an expert who is
thoroughly reliable to assist you in
this work, and his opinions figures
and evidence will also be honest and
without favoritism.
.tsl Not Difficult Matter
"The investigation of the receipts
and expenditures | anticipate, will
not be a difficult matter as the com
pany has. assured us of cooperative
There is an opinion that the gas
rates are too,high and that the quality
of gas is not as it should be, nor is
the service what it should be. In
this part of the investigation, you
must fix a standard of qaulity of
service and the rate to be charged"
Mayor A. G. Meyer and Attorney
A. r. Pfau, Jr, were present at the
meeting and Mr.. Pau who repre-
sents the interests of the Cnsumers
Power company, assured the COM,
mission that the company was ready
and willing to submit to the investi-'
cation, and he promised for his com
pany to give all the assistance pos
sible.
Plan of Action.
The commission decided to take up
the Investigations of the gas plant
first because an expert electrical en-
gineer had not vet been procured.
Mayor Meyer said that he had COM
mtnicated with Engineer Earle d.
Jackson of Minneapolis and Engineer
F. j. Druco Of st. Paul and that he
expected to arrange date with them
soon when perhaps one of will be
hired to assist in the investigation
{ The investigation of the plant will
be taken up in the following order:
Amount paid wor the plant; the in
crease on the first investment; the
monthly receipts since three years
ago when the company took over the
plant; the monthly running expenses;
the nonthly gas production and the
inventory Of the gas plant!s The COM
mission then adjourned until October