Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-11-15
NATIONAL BASIS
FOR VALUES OF
UTILITIES PLAN
PHILADELPHIA TODAY is BATTLE
GROUND or EXPERTS IN U. S.
ON PUBLIC UTILITIES.
EXPECTED THAT EXPERTS WILL GET
AT GENERAL CONCLUSIONS ON
THIS IMPORTANT SUBJECT.
Especial 10 The Herald

Philadelphia Nov. lD--lHl> CIT! -
dav became the battle-ground Of the eX
pcrtS az the United States. who met ~
convention to make IN effort % rc;&-h 4
common ground upon the important
question a. Ia the fair AMI standard ba-
sis for valuation Of public utilities The
wide discrepancy between the valuations
set by private corporations and the
valuations upon the same public service
utilities set by the representatives OF the
city. state and national governments ~
an ever present and ever increasing TEA
ture of controversies on capitalization
charges and service rendered the public
II j. expected that the experts gath
cring here today will reach some general
conclusions IN the subject. There are
Two views generally taken concerning
valuations of public service plants. and
these are widely divergent. Yet there i
4 soood opportunity for compromise. il
is stated. through the admission ~ L.
Ultimate assets certain things that do
not enter into intrinsic value.
For the most part. the experts rep
%rcScnting the government. city. state
and nation. are adhcring ~ \ theory M
making The valuation az public utilities
ifsi>'u f~~fHnliiilA VII tb~A. Ut Will -
ry.hnicallv known a. the historical
method. Their view i that the money
that has been actually paid out in itS
upbuillin. il the one essential element
and that other issues simply modify the
conclusions reached on the cost basis.
On the other hand. the private inter
c>tS. both municipal and Interstate. hold
that the true test of the value of the
property j. what ii would cost to repro
ducc il today. They even 90 "a far az
To seriously include the cost of breaking
i pavement "a lay 4 conduit when no
pavement existed over the conduit when
it was laid.
The first of n series of conferences
between the railroads Of the country and
the Interstate Commerce Commission on
the valuation Of steam railroads was
recently held in Washington and there
developed the widest possible difference
Of opinions a> 10 the principles on watch
the government should formulate it,
country wide valuation of railroads.
The convention will open this evening
on the roof garden of the Hotel .Adclphia
and will extend until Friday evening.
Mayer Rudolph Blankenhurg will pre-
TtF AA=h' stA'l tilfi - iFi
rector Cooke of the Utilities Bureau of
this city. papers will hc read hv John
NJ. EShlrman. Lieut.. Governor ~ Cali
fornia and II. Findlay French of Bal
timore.
other SPEAKERS will Lc Prof. Edward
iciniS. u member Of the advisory board
Of valuations of the interstate
commission. who will open the discus
sion OH the original cost a. the chief
basis for fair value. Charles l.. Pills
bury. chief engineer for the Interstate
commerce commission. George w. An
dcr>on Of New York. Henry l.. Elrod
If Dallas, Texas. +. w Ballard and II.
j. Mcie> of the Western Union Tcle-
graph company.
Also ~ The nXoeramme are Dr. DcloS
y. Wilcox Of New York Frederick r
SicarnS of Boston. DR.. Char'"~ Il. Van
Wise of the University Of Wisconsin.
Prof John III. GRAY of the University
IF Minnesota and Milo Il. Maltbic of
the advisory board Of the Interstate
commerce commission.
The majority of the SncokerS will rep
resent the publin side Of The cnntrn,-
on valuations i;ut for every session.
sneakers will he provided Ia present the
SIDE Of private capital. III j. hoped that
through this intcrp'av ~ views what
VIII amount t0 y v%erlict can he rcndcrcl
on ~ lcaSt Somn If the phases nf the
complicated problems
Mlnv public service commissioners
from The state Of the union have arrived
Tor the convention and mcnrl, every
state is represented.