The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1915-10-07
RED TAPE AND COMMUNITY DE-
VELOPMENT.

Co. has been gong on at tne hdhus
of the Public Utility Commission.
Inventories of all the properties
in many towns and the power plants
on the Rogue River have been made,
and then hearings have been delayed.
For the past month hearings to de-
termine rates for service have been
had at the State Capitol. where law
yers of the power company and state
and city attorneys have appeared.
All these hearings have cost the
taxpayers a great deal of money and
the public utility company has been
put to great expense for witnesses
and lawyers and inventories.
AS these hearings have for their
ultimate purpose fixing values of the
properties and finally are to fix rates
for the company to do business upon
all development work has been sus-
pended
In the meantime the California
Oregon Power Company has been
threatened with competition of pi-
ratical character that has started to
enter its field.
Public ownership projects have
been launched in many communities
to force down the rates of the Cali
fornia-O Oregon Power Company, but
so far none of them have material
ized.
The Oregon Utilities commission
finds the properties have value in
the opinion of their engineer of ST.
S20,471 as cost of reproduction, and
s2,0S5,990 in the opinion of the COM
pany's engineer.
The hearing was made ridiculous
by introducing testimony that the
employees had a clubhouse at Gold
Ray where among the restaurant
equipment was found a set of wine
and punch glasses.
1t seems that former owner of
the plant did maintain clubhouse
for his friends in the Rogue River
Valley, and later it was made club
house for the employees by the pres
ent owners.
1t can readily be seen how under
long-drawn-out red-tape hearing, il
conducted never so fairly and with
never so much good intent, has held
up the development of these proper
ties.
Instead of being able to borrow
cheap capital and extend their lines
to furnish cheap power to commun-
tiles and irrigation companies and for
private irrigation plants, big invest
ment has been killed.
State development demands a
more practical system of handling
public utilities unless the whole state
is to be forced upon public owner
ship basis as private capital will not
come in under such handicap, with
no certainty that it can earn divi-
dends.
The State Banking department
Dursues no such policies and banking
is prosperous and new banks are be-
ing opened in different parts of the
state and all are proud to have banks
make money.
Suppose on complaint of citizens
all the banks in southern Oregon
were given a prolonged Investigation
and oyerhauling by the state bank.
ing commission for the purpose of as.
certaining their value and fixing
rates.
In the meantime, pending the in
vestigation, their business would fal
off. and some of them would have tc
close their doors, and no new banks
would start up in business in Oregon
But the State Banking department
does not do that kind of business
simply because it is not good busi
ness" and would not be tolerated In
any other line of investment except
public utilities.
But the public utility has to make
rates for service the same as the
banker makes rates for exchange anc
on loans and its rates must be accept
able to the public or it cannot dc
business.
A power company must make spe
cial rates to power users, to farmers
who want irrigation, to the womer
who use ranges in their kitchens ant
the rates must be low enough to pro
duce customers.
The whole tendency of the public
utility commission, aside from spend
ing 100000 every two years on rec
tape investigations, is to hinder th'
development of utilities and keel
capital out of the state.
A radical utility commission would
force the state and all its politica
subdivisions into public ownership
enterprises that under the same kint
of red tape political management
would bankrupt the taxpayers.
In the meantime the good money
OF the taxpayers and the capital ant
revenues of the utility company are
} wasted on expensive investigations
that will all have to be repaid by tht
light and power users.-Pacific Coas
Manufacturer.