Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-04-17

Hearing On Light Rates.
PUBLIC UTILITIES CONFUSION NOW has
NATTER UNDER CONFEDERATION.
On Wednesday q hearing WAS given d
the court house by the public utilitiel
commission on the complaint of South
Paris users Of electricity against the Ok
ford Electric Co. This complaint al
leges unreasonable and excessive rates
discrimination, insuflciency Of service
etc.
Since tho installing of meters on III
lighting services, the regular chargs
made by the company supplying electric
current In SoAth Paris and Norway
which is now the Oxford Electric Co.
has been fifteen cents per kilowstt hour
At meeting of the South Paris Boaro
Of Trade some weeks ago, . committee
was chosen to investigate the matter Of
light rates and endeavor to secure Q re-
duotion. This committee prepared and
filed with the public utilities commits
sion the complaint on which this hear
ing was held.
A little later q conference was held be-
tween the members OF the committee
and officials of the company, at whict
Governor Cobb, the president Of thu
company, assured the committee that 9
reduction of rate would be rendered. II
accordance with this, NO action was
taken under the complaint filed until
after the offer was received.
The offer when received was reduc
ton to twelve cents, with the usual dis
count for cash. At meeting OF the
Board of Trade, the committee was In
structed to make counter-offer Of ten
aod one-half cents, and If this were not
accepted, to prosecute the complaint be-
fore the public utilities commission. The
offer was made and was not accepted
and the bearing was held In consequence
The twelve-cent rate as offered was
put in effect by the company on the flrs'
of April.
There were present at the hearing
Messrs. W. B. Shelton of Lewiston and
Charles w. Mullen of Bangor of the pub
lie utilities commission, Chairman B. F.
Cleaves not being here. The case fol
the compliments was conducted by Al
ton G. Wheeler with the assistance oil
James s. Wright. Counsel for the com
pany was John A. Morrill, of Auburn.
In opening Mr.. Wheeler stated that
the question of the organization and
several transfers and reorganizations OF
the electric company would be gone
into. He reviewed the history Of the
light controversy in the village. which
in the granting of light char.
ter for the village by the legislature some
years ago. Since that time there has
been a considerable improvement over
the former crude service. But the rates
and conditions are not satisfactory to the
and for that reason this com.
plant was initiated by the Board of
Trade. This electric plant now being
physically and financially,
with the Mechanic Falls plant, there Is
no consistency In even twelve-cent rate
for these two towns, when the Mechanic
Falls territory, served from the same
power plants, has innocent rate. We
want q innocent rate, the same az the
Mechanic Falls territory, or one as little
higher as engineering conditions will
justify.
Some two or three hours was occupied
by Mr.. Wheeler with the testimony of a
number of South Paris citi.
zens regarding light conditions. It was
shown that there was no light service be.
tween daylight and half.past six on week
day mornings, and daylight and half.
past eight on Sunday mornings. 1t was
explained by the company that this time
was used for an inspection of some parts
of the equipment that could not be done
when the power was on. Mr.. Young,
the superintendent, stated that no COM
plant had been made to him Of this, and
admitted that 1t might be possible by
the use Of the South Paris and Norway
plants to bridge this gap. 1t was also
stated by the company that with the
Mechanic Falls plant connected this gap
could now be bridged.
There was testimony regarding INSULT
cheney and fluctuations of current, the
of lights by the use Of irons and
coasters, the fact that some street lights
were of for q longer or shorter time at
and that requests to the COM
pany for testing of meters had not been
needed.
B. W. futile, proprietor of Hotel An.
drews, testified that during the past five
years that he had been In the hotel, be
had paid rate of ten cents per kilowatt
hour. Mr.. Morrill, was asked by Mr..
Wheeler If the company would admit
that patrons of the company on Fore
Street had been supplied with power
from the Norway plant at the nine. cent
rate. In reply Mr.. Morrill, said that GER
tain customers on Fore Street, which
were in Oxford, and therefore In the Me-
chanic Falls territory, had been tempo.
rarily supplied from the Norway plant as
. matter OF convenience, before the con-
nection with the Mechanic Falls plant
had been completed. This connection
has been completed within week.
Mr.. Lincoln, q consulting electrical en-.
gineer, of Waterville, testified as to the
Jumping of the lights which be bad OBJ
served the night before being due to the
improper starting Of the street car,
which Is run from the same water wheel
as the lights. He gave description OF
the equipment at the Norway and South
Paris power stations. which he had In
spected, stating that some Of 1t was not
OF the most improved type, and was ex-
smined at some length 40 to the sepa.
ration OF the light and street car systems,
which he thought could be effected
without loss by running them from sep
arate water wheels.
In responding for the company Mr..
Morrill, said that the matters CT service
TO which reference had been made could
be adjusted without difficulty between
the company and the patrons. The i'm
portant question is that of rates. As the
only witness he put on Fred g. Gordon,
general manager of the Oxford Electric
Co., who described the equipment OF the
company. He said that to install sep
arate wheel to run the street railroad
would be uneconomical In the use Of
water, and that the remuneration OF the
company from Its service depends large
" upon the supply OF water.
The matter is now under consideration
by the public utilities commission,
which will require q considerable amount
of information to be furnished by the
company and Its own experts, bearing
upon the matter of the amount OF invest
ment and fair return to the company
CLEAR YOUR SKIN IN SPRING
Spring house cleaning means cleaning
inside aud outside. Dull pimply skin II
AN aftermath of winter inactivity. Flush