The Lamar register., 1919-02-26
UTILITIES COMMISSION HERE
Lamar Citizens Given Real Hearing
by the State Board and Oppor
tunity to Prove City's Lack
of Service.

the State Utilities Commission arriv-
ed in Lamar Tuesday morning for the
hettsi9n sisfs < granted the city in the mat
ter of Lamar's application for a fran
chise to build its own electric light and
power plant. The hearings opened at
the city hall on Tuesday afternoon
with the city mayor and council and
City Attorney w. f. Fee and Attor-
neys Hillyer G. Kinkaid representing
Lamar; and Manager van Diest, En-
gineer Wilkinson and Attorneys Rush
Holland, A. C. Gordon representing the
lntermountain Railway, Light & Pow
er Co.
The city council room was crowded
with citizens although many users of
electricity realizing that while the
commission was in town would be the
first opportunity in months to get real
electric service stayed away to make
use of the temporary blessing which
the commission brought Really our
people could afford to pay the COM
missioners' salaries to keep them here
permanently.
The local Manager, Mr.. Moore, was
the first witness called and he put
the best possible front on the short
comings of the plant. Everyone real
lied his embarrassing position and felt
sympathy for him until he spoke about
the meters here running too slow
that was too much of vaudeville
stunt for the crowd and the laugh
was general. Lamar is some swift
town itself, but even the far famed
Burkburnett could not keep pace with
Intermountain meters. Everything
else has to have rest sometime or
other except the Intermountain met
ers-they run right along. day or
night. You can disconnect your serv-
ice wires and go away for six weeks
and on your return find the meter
running along as unconcerncdly as if
nothing had ever happened.
After Mr.. Moorc's testimony Mr.. F.
W. johnson, superintendent of the ID.
A. NJ. & p. Co.'S plants, was put on
the stand and gave some very interest
ing testimony in regard to the physi-
cal condition of the Intermountain
plant and the reasons therefor. He
showed that it was largely due to
purchase of second hand machinery
and employing inefficient help when
good men could be secured If the com
pany was willing to pay the regular
price for that class Of help.
After his testimony a long string of
witnesses representing nearly every
industry and business interest of the
city were put on the stand and testi-
fled us to the rotten service and high
charges The city officials showed
that they had made every effort to
secure the increased city lighting or
dered for them by the commission aft
er the hearing Of a year ago. but were
unable to get any extension except one
light at the railroad crossing.
Officials Of the company having
testified that they were now in good
shape to render the city service, IT
WIS pfONtu ny Hith WIN hoN oNNh 1850
ed there on Tuesday that the plant
only avoided complete breakdown
while the commission was in town by
securing the help of real expert me-
chanics from the Sunday Garage. They
patched things up and tided the COM
pany over the time while the COM
mission was here-what will happen
after that only time can tell.
The most prominent feature of the
sessions was the general appearance
of a changed attitude on the part of
the commission. Heretofore, it has
looked as if they did not care to hear
Lamar's side of the controversy, but
with the partial change in member
ship has come noticeable difference
in their attitude toward the citizens.
The members of the commission seem
ed to want to hear Lamar's complaints
and asked many questions tending to
bring out important facts. What their
final decision will be, we do not know,
but at least Lamar has had her day in
eourt and succeeded in getting the
facts of the most expensive and ut the
II