The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1918-04-04

Get ready to settle with the gas com
pany. Regardless of the protest that
has been made by the people of Ke-
nosha against poor quality gas and
after considering the evidence of
scores of people who use the gas in
Kenosha, the Wisconsin Railroad Com
mission on Tuesday handed down a
decision granting to the Wisconsin Gas
and Electric Company the right to in
crease the price charged for gas in
Kenosha to the amount of twenty
cents a thousand cubic feet This
means that the small consumer of gas
in Kenosha must pay for it at the rate
of one dollar and thirty cents per
thousand and the lowest rate granted
to the largest consumers will be eighty
five cents a thousand. The same order
is effective in Racine, but as the price
al which the gas was sold in Racine was
five cents the thousand lower than in
Kenosha the Racine rates continue to
be lower than the Kenosha rate.
The surcharge ordered by the rail
road commission is to be elective in
Racine and Kenosha for period Of
six months and the new price is to be
charged to every customer following
the next reading of the meters. This
will mean that it will become effeeti-e
on some of the customers Of the city
of Kenosha the middle of this month
and effective to all customers the first
Of the new month
The commission in it's order instructs
the company to keep the customers in
as nearly as possible the same rotation
for meter readings so that the effect
Of the order shall be to make the sur
charge effective for period of six
months for each customer and not more
than six months for any customer.
The order holds that at the end of
the six months the rates which were
in effect on January LIST, 1918, shall
be restored in both cities and the
commission retains the right to change
the rates now effective at any time
it, may see fit.
The granting of the ''war bonusO
to the company was not unexpected.
The company had filed with the com
mission long reports showing the earn
ings of the company, both in Racine
and Kenosha, and according to these
figures the supply of gas to the two
cities had not been an earning propo-
sition. The decision goes into these
figures at great length. 1t has tables
to show the advance in the price of
production of the gas which on the
face of them warrant the increase IN
the price. The price of coal is attri-
buted to the larger portion of the raise
In the rates. The commission holds
that on account of the changed costs for
coal that the company is entitled to
an increase of fifteen cents per thous-
and cubic feet. The commission shows
along this line that the cost of the gas
sold now with coal at an average of
$677 ton, is 75.5 cents, while some
time ago when coal could be purchased
at 1920 ton the cost of the gas sold
was 36.7 cents thousand. 1t is declar-
ed in addition that these figures do not
take into consideration the fact that
there is a decreased yield in the
amount of gas produced from the
present coal supply.
In addition to the cost of coal the
order holds that the company s reports
for the months of January and
February Of this year show steadily
decrease in earnings and that the com
pany is entitled to recover something
for the long period that this loss in
earnings has been borne.
1t is held that there has been large
increase in the cost of labor and ma
terials for the production and purifca-
ton of the gas. These increases are
said to have increased the cost of gas
making to the company from ~ cents to
lis cents per thousand cubic feet.
The company brings in statement
of the operations Of all the departments
Cor the first two months of this year.