Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-31
LEAGUE TO FIGHT
HIGHER GAS RATE
reauiy Taxpayers Protective Organi.
gation Appeals to State Utilities
Commission.
HOLDS ADVANCE JNJUSTIFIED
REPRESENTATIVE OF Body Will Attend
Hearing in Chicago and Enter
Formal Protest.

Al a meeting of the Rock Island (
County Taxpayers Protective league,
held last evening. and called for ,the ,
purpose Of discussing the proposed in
crease in the gas rate for Rock Island. ,
Moline and vicinity, the following
preamb.e and resolutions were unan-
in0usly adopted
whereas, the Peoples Power COM
many. Moline and Rock Island Manu-
featuring company, etc. which hold !
iAe gas franchise for the cities of Rock
Island county. and maintain a plant
'or the manufacture of gas in the city
of Moline. are demanding the right
To increase the price of gas to 81 per
900 cubic feet, from So cents per
1909. and the governments of said
cities have declined TO accede to said
demand as not required by the circum-
stances. therefore be it
Resolved. That the Rock Island
County Taxpayers Protective league
hereby appeals TO the public utilities
commission Of the state of Illinois not
10 reverse the decision of the said mu-
niCipal governments in this matter,
unless Il should be shown by broad
inquiry that the corporation and its
subsidiaries which control the public
utilities of these cities are distressed
and actually needing higher rates.
Resolved, Further that the services
Of this league be rendered to the said
municipal authorities in making the
proper representations before the said
commission when the application for
higher gas rates comes before it for
bearing. Be it further
Resolved. That pending the hearing
the following considerations be ad-
vanced for leaving the rates wherS
they are:
I've claim that the present rate
for gas in these cities is stuff GENTLY
high to allow elasticity in cost of pro-
duction that renders frequent changes
unnecessary.
AS the gas produced here by the
said corporation or corporations is not
coal gas. but is what is called water"
gas. and produced by a much less eX-
pensiye process than coal gas, and
that hence the claim that coal scar
city and cost enter largely into the sit
nation requiring higher rates is with
out basis in fact.
3.-The' subsidiary corporations
which are engaged in making and
selling gas to our citizens are but one
department of a larger corporation,
having headquarters in Grand Rapids,
Mich. and this larger concern is now
and has been from the beginning of
its control Of our local public utilities,
been declaring a larger dividend upon
the actual investment than constitutes
a fair interest rate. and besides is
paving to officers thereof salaries of
great size which are not earned by
the recipients thereof, and disbursing
its funds in other directions which are
neither proper nor legitimate.
Arm OF Large Concern.
4.-These subsidiary concerns pro-
ducing gas. being in truth but one arm
Of the larger concern, we would 'sug-
gest that it is unfair to our consum-
ers of gas 10 consider the gas depart
ment alone in judging whether the
holding corporation is unjustly treated
by being limited to the present gas
rate. We hold that since the public
utilities commission ordered the jitney
buses to cease competing with the
street car system owned by this cor
poration an unprecedented situation
has arisen here due to the United
States governments industrial activ-
tiles, and that in consequence thereof
the profit to this corporation in trans
portation Of the people of these cities
has been vastly increased at the eX-
pense Of the peoples comfort and con-
yenience, cars being over crowded
as never before and earnings en-
HANGED without material increase i'll