Norwich bulletin., 1918-12-02
WESTERLY

new electric light ana power rates or the Westerly Light and Powey c- ,pany, the Narragansett Pier Electric Light and Power company and the Wickford Light and Power company. At the same time new gas rate sched- ules were filed by the Westerly Light and Power company and the Bristol County Gas and Electric company, All these are subsidiaries of the Narra gansett Electric Lighting cont any of Providence.
 Officials of the. .Earragansett Com pany said that the rate changes were designed primarily to make electric rate charges by the corporation $ sub sidiaries conform more closely to those of Providence.
 For the most part, it was declared, the changes are in the form of charge rather than in the amount Increases in revenue, it was stated. are expected from the new gas rates in Westerly and Wickford and there will be some increase in revenue from the electric rates in Westerly. No change in rev enue from the new schedules of the Wickford and Narra gansett Pier com panies is looked for.A
 The new rates are to become effec- tive January 1. and all schedules for electric rates contain a. coal clause, giving the companies the right auto rnatically to lower and raise rates at stated periods. dependent upon the cost of coal
 In the case of. the gas. rates. a sin1i- lar clause makes 1t possible to change the gas cost to consumers with the changing cost of coal and oil
 Gas customers of the Westerly and listo1 county companies. under the new rate plan, will be asked to pay a ser I ice charge of 50 cents a, rncnth, while the gas rate is also altered.
 Electricity customers of the West elly, Wickford' and Narra gsnsett Pier companies will. all be put on a meter system This will mean for some users a. decrease in rates and for oth- CTS an increase. officials said.
 The coal price 10 govern the upward and downward movement Of electricity rates, it was stated, will te the price raid for ccal by the Narragansett company, which generates. the current | Distributed by it's three subsidiaries. ] The coal and oil price to govern the gas cost movement in the case of the Bristol County Gas and Electric com pany will be the pricesto the rPrevi l Cence Gas company. which furnishes 1 tl.e gas this, company distributes. In i the case of the Westerly Company. it ] will be the price to that company di- l rect, as it makes its gas.s The contest over the will of Mrs. l Betsy Ann Straight, formerly of East | Greenwich and PaWtucket, ended Fri
 day before Judge George T. Brown in ! the superior court, when the jury, af- ! ter listening to formal proof of the 1 will, returned verdict sustaining the 1 instrument, by direction of the judge. 1 The contest was by Etta C.. Knight | J |, fO f4 1x-.a the will set aside on the, ground ti1a
 he eXccutor, Rev. William l.. Wood
 tad exercised undue influence over the
 tcStatrix in getting her to make the ! will Rev. MT. Wood was made trus- ! ice of the bulk of Mrs. Straight's prop ertv, with the provision that it should be used for charitable purposes in his
 discretion.
 The estate comprises some personal ! property and real estate in Pawtue;ket laxed for approximately $II5o0. The contest was heard once Sbe5H-e by . iury and.a verdict rendered setting the
 will aside. Judge Doraa who presided
 at the trial. granted the executor'
 motion for a new trial on the grount
 that the verdict was not justified b1 1 the evidence. When the case was call
 ed for trial Friday the contestants of
 Tered no testimony in opposition tt
 the normal proof of the will and i
 was probated without protest.
 A lively contest is on for the speak
 ership Of the Rhode Island house o r representatives, between the packer
 of Richard W. Jennings and Arthu } r. Sumner. with the former as the so . called logical candidate as he was dep uty speaker and majority leader a the last session of the general assem !. bly, The democrats are lining up fo the election of minority leader, an r the two principal candidates at thi
 time are William, $. Flynn and Johi s1 I Deylin.4 The selections will be mad ] in party caucus, the night before tn :. opening of the legislature of 1919, mex e month.
 | Theatrical interests in Rhode lsian l have protested against a 20 per cen tax on admission to entertainments a proposed in the revenue bill whic was passed in the house Of representa- T tives Senator Colt is advised tha
 the senate committee on finance ha : decided to eliminate this provision d which would have the effect of leavin . the war tax on admissions at 10 pc
 cent, the rate provided for by existin s law.
 Under an interlocutory decree of di = voree which, Supreme Court Judge Jc 6 Seph l. Addison Young, New Ro = chelle, granted on Saturday to MT
 Feth S. Fairbanks, formerly of Natc = Hill, from her husband Douglas Fair l. banks, the moving picture actor, sh = acquires absolute custody Of their sol f Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., who is eigf
 years old and is now with his rnotht T in New Rochelle. The papers in tf V action were filed by counsel for Mir e Fairbanks, in the Westchester count 2 clerks office, and the decree is opera 5 tive immediately.
 Fairbanks was served with the con plaint Oct 9 last at Sherry's. IT I- screen star filed an answer denyir
 all the allegations of his wife, bl < when the tr;;al came up before Justit - Young in his chambers 1t New RC l- cllelle the defendant was not presei
 nor was he represented by counsel.
 Mrs. Fairbanks is the daughter ,t MT. and Mrs. Daniel SullY. and ma IT, ried MT. Fairbanks at Kennethrids " the Sully summer home at Watch Hi
 July [, 1907. In her petition for al
 Tnony, Mrs. Fairbanks stated that h
 husband made more than $10,0 900 week in the various moving pictu d enterprises.
 ,a The decree as signed by. Justi ~ Young does not fix any slifnony Il. is understood that Fairbanks has ma of a liberal allowance to his wife and so a Although names. of cores ponden . are not mentioned in the testimon a1e the defendant is accused of nliscol III duct on Jan. ?. 1915. and Jan. g.. 191 p The testimony against Fairban su was given by two of ilis profession le associates. William Clifton Crawfor !e an actor Of Manhattan. testified tn s IS Jan. 5, 1916. he met Fairbanks at [ o' Lambs club, and that after the Lam H. Gambol, the defendant invit