The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-01-04

WOTA1 tOQdy ISSUED 618n00 6IaCc-
ment protesting against the action
taken by the Indiana Public Utilities
commission in issuing an order In fav-
or Of the Light, Heat & Power COM
pany Of this city without taking the
trouble to consider the municipal
plant In the matter and neglecting to
notify the city of the action the CON-
mission had taken. The order In
question has been taken advantage Of
by tho Light, Heat & Power company
to offer wholesale rates for power, Be-
curing contracts from some Of the
largest power users in the city.
There is still some doubt in the
mind of City Attorney Bond whether
the commissions order can be applied
locally by the city plants competitor,
or whether It applies only to the Lib
erty Light & Power company which
purchases its current from the Light.
Heat & Power company. The local
concern. however, has taken for grant
ed that the order applies locally and
has gone after the business of the
larger power users without any hest
fancy.
Commission UNIFORMED.
Mr.. Bond, Mr. Bavis and Mr.. Klein
knecht appeared before the commits
sion Saturday and asked for an expla-
nation. They were Informed that Mr..
Murphy of the commission had writ
ten the order and was not in the city.
The other members said they were
not enough familiar with the matter
to give the city officials any sat1sfac-
tory reply. That the majority of the
commission members should be so
poorly informed upon an important
question caused the city officials
much surprise. The statement fol
lows:
"On last Thursday, December 81.
the Richmond Light, Heat and Power
Company filed with the City Clerk a
copy of an order made by the Public
Service Commission Of Indiana on
December IS. 1914. This order, as we
are informed, was based upon a joint
petition filed at that time by said
Power company and the Liberty Light
and Power Co., and the City of Rich
mond was not made a party to such
petition nor notified of it's filing and
the first official information received
by the city in regard to such matter
was when the copy of the order was
filed with the City Clerk.
Asks Rate Approval.
1.-THE petition in this case asked the
approval Of the commission for the
following rate:
1.-The suggested wholesale power
rate for Liberty Light and Power
Company. New Paris, Ohio, Trans
mission Line and the order was
made in accordance with the request
Of the petition. Upon the authority
granted to it by this order, the Rich
mond Light, Heat and Power company
sought to and did make some con
tracts with large power users within
this city for service at the rates fixed
in such order-such rates being low
err for some services than those fixed
by the Commission on March 2. 1914
and now in force within this city eX
cept as modified last November.
THE city does not and has not op
posed a reduction in rates for power
On the Goth day Of last July, the city
filed a petition before the Public Ser
vice Commission asking a reduction
Of about ten per cent in power rates
This petition has never been acted up
on by the Commission except that in
November it authorized the minimum
AAoi
power to be reduced from seventy
five cents to twenty-five cents, anG
the city was DESTROYS of having this
reduction made and by and with the
assistance of many power users sue
ceeded in getting this result which
was opposed by our competitor.
l., H. and P. Files Objection.
"On July IS, 1914, the Richmond
Light, Heat and Power company filed
with the city clerk copy of a pet
ton which it very soon thereafter
filed before the public service com
mission. objecting to the reduction in
power rates as asked by the city il
its petition filed on July IS. and ask
ing the commission to value all the
property of both plants and fix just
and reasonable rates. Upon the filing
Of this petition we were informed that
ulllan Ain nFl FnnaT F0