The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1915-01-22
weres not justly apportioned between
the two departments.
Conferred Around Two Points.

oBPt4 ~
the two departments.
Conferred Around Two Points. -
A big fight betweens the com.
pany and the city gradually center
ed around two main ~ questions:
first what intangible values should
the company allow2. and second
were the operating expenses correct
ly stated by the company? In order
10 secure evidence ,ontuthe second
point the city employed the Mellis-
Prize company Of Minneapolis. who
are the city's accountants. TO careful.
~ examine the books Of the Con.
sumers' Power company on operating
expenses. The work was begun IN
September, and only finishedB recent.
ly. and a report submitted to the
city only a few days ago, although
the substance of the report has been
known to the city's attorneys for
several months.
The papers in the case have
grown to enormous bulk. and would
easily fill an ordinary dray wagon,
II they were all gathered together.
Every question that could arise In
the control and regsiatfcn of a pub.
lie utility company has arisen, and
become a part of the case. Though Oh
a smaller scale thd case has been
as interesting. complex and intricate
as the cas- of the Minneapolis Gas
Controversy. The case was about 10
be tried on its merits. At the Octo.
Der term Of the federal court. Judge
Booth stated to the attorneys that
he would appoint q Master in
Chanc2ry 10 take the evidence i'm
the cas- during ~Janunry Of this year.
No appointment liaa been made or
urged because for 4 considerable
time the company and the city have
been negotiating, aud it was hoped
IN both sides that an adjustment
of the difficulties would b. arrived
at without rcsortine 10 LITIGATION that
would have been very expensive both
10 the city and the company.
NuNoNiSHN W hdtE@.
The gas pending before the fed.
eral court involved only the question
Of gas rates. II would have been
necessary for the city I'm order to
got clcctri" rates to hare gone
through the same course Of imvcsii.
ca:icn before the commission that
WIS h2d for the ga question. Tho
settlement. howCvcr. that was ar.
rived at Includes beth the gas rates
q the private consumer. and the
electric rates to the private ton.
umcr. and a general understanding
In regard to city rates. The rcduc,
ton made at the present time saves
the city and citizens from fifteen
Io twenty thousand dollars per year.
and with the increase OF bushes;
At tho present rate will mean a
saving of over $t6a.O0O to the rity
and citizens in seven years.
The battle just ended between the
city aud the ConsumarS' Power com.
pauy differs materially from the S..
! tul anu htultdpbllS cases lOI III
these two cities Tn franchise given
the company contsined provisions
giving the city the right 10 regulate
the rates of the COMPANY. while the
franchise given by the city OF Ma.
kato contains Absolutely TO provision
CT this kind. and The city had to pro.
coed entirely under the power given
1t by its home rule, charter. This is
the first case Of its kind in the
state or ~ far as we know any.
where in the northwest. 1T is on
this account that.ia great deal of in.
terest was aroused throughout Min.
nesota, and the surrounding states in
the Mankato gasb ease which is now
happily ended. ;