The weekly soliphone., 1915-04-09
CITY COUNCIL UPHoLDs CRYSTAL ICE co.

for consumers of current must pay the old price of ff teen cents per kilowat or depend upon the incoming council to make reductions Undoubtedly some of the members who last night voted against reducing rates will be on the council elected today and it is exceedingly doubtful if any kind of an ordinance looking to hgC re- ductions can be obtained.
 It is not within the province Of newspaper or all individual to question the motives of anyone tor any vote east unless proof positive is obtanabe that influences m were brought to bear We have evidence tend
 ng to show that such condition obtained when the ballot was cast at last nights meeting and The Daly PreSs not going to father the idea that anything but good ln- tentions predomnated. Certain it is that councilman
 who desires to vote against reductions because he know what kowatt is has the individual liberty to con- stite himself human negation and vote as he peases
 In fact it exceedingly doubtful if Thomas A. Edl- son knows what kilowatt is other than it expresses
 unit of measurement some should ask what 1oot or gallon or yard is, the difficulty of explana- ton would arise. foot is foot gallon is gallon yard is yard, klowat is kowatt, and ,lasses IS Passes. We trust the explanation IS ucd lhls nforma-
 ton is due Daily Press readers for the reason that one member of the council last night declined to vote Tn ta- vor of 400 annual reduction in light charges because he did not know what kowatt was; and not knowing, he preferred not to the risk of doing the Crystal Ice Company injustice by voting III favor ot reduction the company had agreed to. The fight made by this paper has, undoubtedly been misdirected When col umn after column of space being devoted to mathe- nautical comparisons and arguments Tn favor ot lower rates an error was made. What we should have done was to conduct school of electrical engineering A primer should have been prepared the US Of Frank
 ns conquest should have been rected Perhaps lesson one ought to have read: "Kowatt "a unit of measure Uy name would smell strong one kilowat and two kilo- watts three kOwatts total 45c. Bill direct to mem bers of city council for analysis with foot note to the ef feet that kiOwatt and fifteen cents synonymous
 Of course the pupils progress; rapidly as they learned the rule of one and three they should be advanced by grades Ultimately the multiplication table as high as ten times ten might not be objectionable
 But returning to sound argument, The Daily Press desires to emphasize the fight it has made for equitable rates to users of light and power Tn Para could and to assure the public that the fight not wit extreme view of the situation and presented every agu ment available it is equally true that frequently some ot the extreme argument not applicable to Paragould and Paragould conditions. At time during the fight has the Crystal Ice Go. done anything that ought not to have been expected of them in defending their inter- ests It is true that their investment IS heaVy-thOugh not heavy in opinion, their statements show and they are entitled to fair returns upon this investment
 It should not be the purpose of anyone to harass them merely because the company is public service corpora tOn through any personal anlmosy entertained tor stockholders officers The service rendered in Para gould is excellent but the price IS high The company maintains that high rate is imperative if maintenance depreciation, fair salaries and reasonable dividend are to be maintained Statements prepared by the company show upon their face that if accept figures thus made the present rate is not excessive The Daily Press main tains however that these statements not correct in their entirety but do not KNOW this It is suspi- cion and suspicion isn't always safe element to ploy in directing fight against anothers interests Ex perts employed by the city at cost of nearly five h
 dred dollars to supply data upon which to base new schedule of charges supplied data incomplete The perts insisted difference of opinion between them selves Representing the city) and experts employed by the light plant resulted in very incomplete audit ot the books. The Crystal Ice Company insists that the books were opened without complaint The light company cepted much of the data prepared by the cys experts correct with reference to physical valuation of the plant Disagreement arose over valuation of the build ing and ot and the proportion of investment and expense that should be charged to the lighting department and the cemaking department Frankly it difficult sit uaton and that should only be acted upon after due consideration for the rights of the Crystal Ice Company and the rights of the people of Paragould There is not individual in the city who really knows whether The Daily Press the light company correct in the ar guments made. The Press has tried to be correct but in