Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1915-10-21
REDUCTION
IN POWER RATES
AS RESULT OF HEARING HAD
BEFORE PUBLIC UTILITIES
C0MMISSI0N---A COM
PROMISE.
Statesman, Oct. 16.)

| AlteT a nearing 2SlmS SIX Gays,
the most informal ever conducted by
the public utilities commission, ad-
journment was taken Friday night
after the power companies had
agreed to the publication of new
schedules making considerable re-
ductions in the price Of power for
irrigating purposes.
! The hearing was called at the re-
quest of water users, who alleged
that they were being overcharged for
power consumed by pumping plants.
The power company intervened and
presented a tentative schedule which
provided reductions to most of the
classes of water users. The consum,
ers were not satisfied, however, with
the amount of the reductions and the
company agreed Friday to make still
further reductions by dividing the
classes of motors in fixing the
charge for power.
INFORMAL CONFERENCE.
Chairman Ramstedt reminded the
conferees that the hearing was not
called for the purpose of fixing rates
for the commission did not have suf-
ficient funds at hand 10 conduct an
investigation to make the neceSs arily
prerequisite valuation of the plant Of
The power company and for that rea- +.
son only most informal conference
could be held for the purpose Of
Under the schedule first proposed,
! the water users were diyided into
two classes according to the horse
power capacity of their motors The
schedule satisfied the first class,
those using motors between one and
nine horsepower, but the second
class asked further reduction. The
system of discounts Offered no ad-
vantage to the consumer using under
five hundred dollars worth of cur
rent and the complaint was made
that motors of capacity between %
and 80 horsepower never reached
that amount and, therefor, profited
not at all by the arrangement.
RATES REDUCED.
Friday morning, by permission OF
the commission, the company sub
mitted a new schedule which was ac-
cepted by the water users. The new
schedule, which will apply to the
bills for 1915 and for two years
thereafter, makes demand charge
of S12 year fer each horsepower
consumed, payable in equal Install
ments during the months the service
is used, plus cne-half cent Fer kilo-
wat hour for all energy used each
month. A guaranteed minimum pay
ment per month of SIS per horse
power is made In addition to th5se
terms, the following quantty d-s-
counts are made, applicable to the
new schedule: The first 500 of the
monthly bill is net; the second calls
for a 5 per cent discount; the third
for a 10 per cent discount; the
fourth Is per cent discount; and
all over s400, a 20 per cent discount.
Had the 1914 bills been collected on
this basis, the eight consumers IN
this class would have saved s42S.O7.
A further revision was then sug-
gested by the company applicable to
installations of 100 horsepower or
over. The same demand charge, pay
able in the same way and with the
same guaranteed minimum payment
of SIS per month per horsepower.
The quantity discounts applicable to
this class of installations are 10 per
cent on the first thousand dollars OF
the monthly bill, 20 per cent on the
second thousand and discount OF
40 per cent ON all payments over
two thousand dollars.