The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1918-06-04
MR.. WEISS REPLIES TO PARIS
z GAS & ELECTRIC CO.'S LETTER
Nashville, Tenn, June 1, 1918.
Hon. e. B. January, Mayor,
Paris, Ky.


| Dear Sir
! l have to thank you for the copy
of THE BOURBON NEWS of the
issue of May 81, containing an at
tack upon me and my professional
methods by the Paris Gas and Elec-
trio Company, which I have noted.
In due time and in the proper form,
these gentlemen will be given the OPP
portunity to justify their efforts to
injure me.
At present, the people of Paris are
much more concerned with being pro-
tected against the extortion this
Company has heretofore and is now
exacting in it's rates and charges and
service to the city and the private
consumers of electricity and gas, than
in personal attacks upon me or my
alleged unethical terms in serving the
city, and which attacks are resorted
to for the sole purpose of beclouding
the issues, and because the Company
knows only too well that my work is
efficiently and fearlessly performed
and that it means beneficial results
to the City of Paris and it's inhabi-
tants; and further, that my investi-
cations and the resulting exposure of
the Company's unjust and unreasona-
BILE rates and charges and the certain
reduction thereof, are much more
feared than my alleged "overbearing
and arbitrary" ways, of which, how
ever, if the standing and reputation
of the Paris Gas & Electric Company
with the public are any indication, /
do not seem to have monopoly. The
mere offering of these as a reason for
refusing to treat the City of Paris
, and it's inhabitants fairly and justly
is grotesquely absurd and carries
with it the admission that it is
puerile and frivolous. And no one
should know better than the owners
of the Company that the city has not
delegated and cannot delegate to me
any of its powers, but that it remains
supreme in all of its powers and
that the Board of Council only, has
the power to determine the reasona-
bleness and business of the rates and
charges. To intimate that the city
would be Influenced by information
developed by me as its expert unsup-
ported by facts, is an insult to the in
telligence and honesty of the City
Administration and is only another
indication that this Company Judges
others by its own nefarious stand
ards.
The issue is squarely before the
Company on the street lighting rates
and charges; we have challenged the
Company to disprove our findings of
fact and conclusions as to their fair
value of that service. How do they
meet this challenge? Certainly not
with facts; on the contrary, by Will
fication and charges Of unfairness,
undue prejudice and that l am arbi-
trary and overbearing in my deal
ings. The wonder of it is that they
did not also include in the category
of my shortcomings, sedition, al
doubtless, this Company in |
common with some other public util- |
ity companies regard everyone who |
has the courage to represent the |
cause of the people against company |
interests, as an enemy and as I'M |
ethical Does any sensible person for |
one moment believe that if the COM
pany is able to overturn the findings |
contained in the Street Lighting re-
port of March %, by indisputable |
facts it would hesitate or delay do
ing so?
The Company claims that it must |
have increased revenue not alone
the advance of more than
100 in the price of the street light
ing service the prices whereof were
already much in excess of fair |
price, but also, in higher prices to
which prices also already |
averaged more than 20% higher than
cities under substantial
ly similar conditions and situations.
The Company can be and is criticized
because of this; hence, the city de-
sires to know the facts. Why then
does the Company refuse to supply |
the facts and by publishing the
facts, disarm the critic? The answer
is obvious.
1t is not debatable that in cases
of electric light companies whose
rates and charges in normal times
were just and reasonable, in other
whose charges has therefore
been no higher than necessary to
yield a reasonable return or profit on
the fair value of the property used
for the convenience of the public
honestly invested and prudently man
aged, in abnormal times like the pres
emit, when fuel, labor and material
costs are higher, such companies
would justly be entitled to ask the
public to share at least part of
these increased costs; to that end
every consumer would
willingly pay rates and charges that
would insure not only efficient opera
ton, but reasonable return on the
as we'll. But such a COM