The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-01-08
Manager of Light, Heat and
Power Company Non
COmmital.
AUTHORITIES FLAY
WHARTON'S STAND
City Attorney Denounces
Billing System AS en-
famous Form"

members or the new DOard OF puDllC
works had their first experience today
with the Richmond Light, Heat and
Power company. City Attorney Bond
and the board members all united in
declaring that the system employed
by the company in preparing it's De
cember bills, now being collected, was
most unfair and would not be tolerated.
J. B. Wharton. manager of the local
company, and one of his attorneys, A
M. Gardner, after the discussion had
become quite lively, appeared on the
scene.
Mr.. Wharton, much to everyones
surprise. did not appear to defend his
billing scheme informing the board
members that he had come for frank
discussion Of the question; that If the
system was unjust he wanted to recti-
fy it. Without waste of time he was
Informed in chorus that it was unfair
and would not be tolerated.
Reams Of paper were then employed
for column after column of figures to
show just where the billing system
used by the Light, Heat & Power
company was impractical.
Unfair To Small Users.
Apparently Mr.. Wharton himself
lad no very clear understanding Of the
system and he was an attentive listen
pr to the statements of the city at
torney. Mr.. Gardner admitted that the
system was unfair to the small con-
,lo
feet of gas per month and who must
pay the maximum rate of so cents per
thousand feet.
The whole dispute arose over the
company's action of carrying over
odd hundreds feet of gas to the next
months bill. That is, if a consumer
used 1900 feet of gas last month, he
was charged for 1000 feet, so cents,
aud the odd three hundred feet will be
added to the total amount of gas con-
sumed by him this month
Manager Wharton said he had plann-
ed to do this for only one month, so
that when the January bills were made
out next month each patron would
have over 1000 feet of gas charged
against him. Just why the company
desired to do this was not made very
plain by Mr.. Wharton.
Wants Exact Statements.
City Attorney Bond and the board
members insisted that the proper
method for making ont bills was to
charge each patron for the exact
= amount of gas used by him each
month. For instance. if a man used
1900 feet of gas he should be charged
Be- cents
MIR. Bond then said. in proof Of the
injustice of the cOmpany's billing sys-
TEN. that If a patron used 100 feet of
gas each month this year his total bill
for the year. under the cOmpanys sys-
TEN of billing, would be $6.42, where
as he should have obtained his gas at
q cost of only $500.
If he had used 1900 feet per month
eli year he would be charged with
$6,76, whereas he should be charged
with $500: if he had used 1900 feet
his annual bill would be STA instead
of S6.25; if he had used 400 feet he
would be charged $752 instead of So
72; if he had used 1900 feet he would
he had used 1000 feet he would be
charged $S1S instead of $76S.
Before Mr.. Wharton and his attor-
ney arrived City Attorney Bond in
formed the board that the company 8
billing system was AN infamous and
detestible form of public service graft
and should and will be stopped"
There is every indication that in the
future the Light, Heat & Power com
pany will charge each patron for the
exact amount of gas consumed by
him.