The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-04-06

that 1t Must Get Enough to Pay In
terest on Investment - Different
Views as to Amount
The hearing before the public ser
vice commission on the petition to have
electricity furnished to residents of
Dummerston by the Connecticut River
Power Co, which was begun two weeks
ago, was resumed this morning in the
office OF the commission, Chairman R.
Z. Bacon and w. A. Dutton Of the
board being present.
The company sought to present fig
ures Of the probable consumption Of
electricity on such small line bv com
parsons with figures taken from the
Vernon business, that in Westminster
and AIstead. w. r. Daley, of counsel
TOT the petitioners, objected to this be-
ing presented except by persons imme-
dlateIy familiar with those lines and
business and arrangements were made
to have some witnesses present this af-
ternoon who We're not there this
morning.
Attorney c. c. Fits for the company
explained that he desired to show
what the cost to the company would
be of the construction of such a line.
lie SAID that II a guarantee were made
OF the amount of current that would
be taken by the consumers in Dummer-
ston one factor Of difference would be
eliminated, but it was necessary to
know what the likely consumption of
electricity would be and the only wav
TO determine that was BY comparison
with the consumption on similar lines.
The accepted way is to take the load
factor, he said. He had the figures for
the load factors at Newfane, Westmin-
ster and Alstead and Vernon. He gave
number of figures concerning techni-
cal details and said that for an out
side party to build the line and obtain
fair return on the investment it
would be necessary to charge as high
as 40 cents per kilowat hour.
At this point Mr.. Daley remarked
that under the charter Of the company
there was no compulsion to make a
guarantee. Mr.. Fits replied that the
company was not seeking to make mon
ey on this little project, but insisted
upon getting enough to pay interest
on the investment.
Mr.. Daley discussed at some length
the claims of the petitioners as to the
meaning of the statute under which
the company IS chartered and added
that the petitioners believed a 13-cent
rate would pay interest on the invest
ment
Chairman Bacon announced that the
board ruled that the petitioners were
not required to furnish an absolute
guarantee, but that they would be ex-
pected TO show the reasonable proba-
bility of the amount to be consumed.
It was ruled that the load factor as
evidence could be put in by the com
pany when properly connected.
+ 4. II. Miller of Dummerston testi-
ied to distances, saying that it was
about one and three-quarters mile from
the power line of the company to the
home of i. 0. Downs, half a mile above
Dummcrston Center.
Mr.. Daley said there were from 10
to Is residents ready TO take electricity
and that there were 81 houses within
the territory, and it was expected that
more than 10 or IS eventually would
take it.
The petitioners rested their case and
j. p. Mahoney was put on the stand
as tho first witness for the company.
He IS the superintendent of transmits
sion with headquarters at Shelburnc
Falls, Mass, and familiar with the
Vernon power plant and the Vernon
local distribution. Much of his evi-
dencc was technical, showing the cost
Of various articles that 90 to make up
the equipment for such line and
explanations of their necessity He
was on the stand when the noon recess
was taken.