Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-03
CITY STEAM HEAT
RATE INCREASED
FIFTY PER CENT.
Higher Cost of Coal and OPP
Grafton Declared Re
Sponsible
ECONOMY Is ASKED FOR
Consumer Has Chance to
Keep Bills Down Despite
Higher Prices

To heat their homes with steam
heat this winter will cost Harris
burgers considerably more than it
ever cost them before. Increased
steam heating rates were announced
this morning by c. NJ. Kaltwasser,
general manager of the Harrisburg
Light and Power Company.
Consumers will pay as soon as the
company begins to supply steam for
heating purposes this winter instead
of the old rates of forty cents per
thousand pounds of condensation, at
the rate of sixty cents per thousand
pounds for the first $4,000 pounds
consumed. For each thousand pounds
of the next additional 5000 pounds,
charge of SO cents will be imposed; I;
for each thousand of the next 100,-
600 pounds, so cents and for each
thousand over 100000 As cents. The
average cost per thousand pounds
supplied will cost SAT cents, instead
of 40 cents a thousand as at present.
In announcing the increase this
morning. company officials told how
the majority of labor now needed
costs double what it formerly did;
that material costs has advanced
from 100 to 500 per cent. and that
taxes are considerably higher than
they had been. Increased expenses
in former years were partially offset
by greater economies, Manager Kalt-
wasser says, but affairs have reached
such a stage that such measures will
no longer suffice.
New Rates Posted
Notice of the new rates to be filed
with the Public Service Commission
is now being prepared and will in
all probability be in the hands of
the commission by July 10.
In case the proposed increase in
rates is favorably received by the
Public Service Commission, the new
rates become effective within thirty
days afterwards. No steam heat.
however will be supplied until about
october 1. Notices to all steam heat
consumers of the proposed increase.
be sent out within the next
Nsral days in accord with a re-
cent Public Service Commission rul-
ing.
The old rate of 40 cents per
thousand pounds has been in, force
in Harrisburg for almost fifteen
years despite advancing s;costs of
labor, supplies, etc, officials an
nounced this morning Other cities
have been paying higher rates for a
number of years. they saw. Wilkes
Barre, in the heart of the coal dis
trict, for instances. has been paying
considerably higher rate for steam
heat for several years than Harris
burg will pay under the new rates,
officials affirm.
Look For Economy
While Harrisburg householders
will be paying considerably higher
rates for the steam heat needed. it
is not believed that their steam bills
will jump much. at least not proper
tionately with the increase. When
paying more for the steam they will
be somewhat more economical in its
use and in that way will keep their
bills down, Manager Kaltwasser be-
lieves
Work on improving the plant of
the company is moving along at an
encouraging rate, Manager Kalt-
wasser reported this morning. With
an A-3 priority for n new boiler
of 610-horsepower normal rating
which will soon be added to the
present facilities, there is little dam
ger OF the repetition of last winters
unfortunate steam heat shortage
our stokers which caused consider
able trouble last winter have been
repaired and new fans to double the
blowing capacity together with new
turbines to furnish power for them
have been added. while the entire
plant is being remodeled. These i'm
provements viii considerably in
crease the efficiency of the local
plant.