The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-08-19
WATER PLANT
SUES ON RATE
FIXING ORDER.
Richmond Firm Charges Err.
r0rs and Unfairness by
Commission and Asks Re-
turn to Old Schedule.

The public service commission was
Today made defendant in a suit filed
IN the Wayne circuit court by the
Richmond City Water Works through
Attorneys Monks, Robbins, Starr and
Goodrich Of Indianapolis, asking that
the commission be restrained and en-
Joined from the enforcement of the
new rates and rulings effective Sep
TENDER l.
John Robbins filed the complaint
Ind left Immediately for Indianapolis.
AS Judge Fox is out of the city ,imme-
uiate court action is not probable
The company AYERS that the amount
Of receipts from rates and charges
liked by the commission will be insult
hcaent to meet and pay operating ex-
penses and to set aside a $4,000 depre-
citation fund annually as demanded in
The ruling Of the state body.
Alleged errors of the commission
are pointed out. The complaint first
declares six per cent return on $780,
600 is not fair return and that the
commission should have figured at
eight per cent.
Exception is taken to charges made
by the commission as expenses of con-
Quoting the investigation. For numer-
GUS trips made here by engineers of
the commission, in which railroad fare,
board, salary and other items are en-
tered, the commission charges the
company $1,254.14. In addition, the
company is ordered to pay $4,000 in
four annual installments as the ex-
pense of getting out and issuing the
order, making a total of $500.
1F bo
plant, said the matter had been placed
entirely in the hands of the attorneys
end that the work is being done at In
dianapolis.
The company also charges unjust
discrimination in favor of ice manufac-
turers, and against other large con-
sumers. A charge of six cents a thou
sand on basis of daily consumption
Of $4,000 cubic feet is the commissions
new rate. The company says this
should be ten cents.
The petition Of the company to the
court follows:
THE plaintiff prays the court that
the commission may be restrained and
enjoined from the enforcement of the
rates. rules, regulations and require
ments fixed and prescribed by the said
commission in it's order and that the
rules. regulations and requirements
declared unreasonable and invalid by
the commission may be declared valid,
reasonable and just; and that the said
rates, requirements and regulations Of
the said commission may be adjudged
unreasonable, unlawful, invalid and
confiscatory and that the same and
each of same may be cancelled, set
aside and annulled and that the plain
tiff may be permitted to charge a fair
and reasonable rate to the city of
Richmond and the inhabitants thereof
as consumers of water furnished and
supplied by the company"
This is taken as equivalent to ask
Ing that the company be permitted to
operate under the same scale Of rates
as it now is and has for the past
twenty years. The present rates which
the commission ordered suspended
September l, were placed in effect in
1893
The complaint says the commission
erred in failing to list $34, 7O4.OO worth
OF service pipes which were paid for
by the consumers. 1t also says a charge
of 81 for installation Of meters should
be increased to 81.