El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-08-20
PUBLIC SERVICE CORPORATIONS
TO A FAIR INCOME

lust because CORPORATION Is corporation It should not
be made goat Money is entitled TO lar return WAen
legitimatey invested matter to whom It belongs;
If labor IS given increased wages because OF the high
cost Of living; If the government can increase egh rates
railroads because it increased the pay OF Iaoaa en-
ployes rolling stock costs more; the 1000 raiser anu
the food seller the meat raiser and the meat seer can
get better prices for their products because OF increased
costs; labor get twice as much pay as IouI years
AGO then corporatons If they legtmatey entitled TO
increases should them until such time as such IN
crease is not warranted
itt5 TO increase their fares because Of the general
crease Of Materials labor and operating expenses.
The same is true Of gas companies.
postmaster general Bureson granted increases to the
telephone and telegraph companies on these grounds after
full investigation.
oher parts Of country against the increases to the ele
phone and the telegraph companies.
FL Paso has steadily refused increases TO the gas ana
If the position Of The Herald that labor and capital
should both have adequate returns street car com
pany a gas company, water company, OF telegraph
company cannot operate and pay decent return upon the
investment they should have increases until such time as
reduction IS possible and still allow returns they can
operate and legitimate returns they should not De
increased.
We cannot get along without public utilities We de-
nsud good service United States has the best IN
the world The only way to continue to get service IS TO
allow the sufficient compensation for operations
There should be no waste extraordinary salaries to
operatives and no unusual returns upon the investment
but proper returns should be allowed.
is proper for those having the power to regulate such
the electric company and the telephone company 1t IS
within the province Of the city to make these invesga-
tons State railway and interstate commerce commits
sons can probe railroad and telegraph rates. also telephone
interstate rates.
THOROUGH investigations should made into costs Of
operation now and heretofore Of salary increases made
cessarv Of increased costs Of material and maintenance
of the actual capital invested Then fair return should
be fixed for the capital invested and the rates placed so
that they viii give reasonable returns upon the invest
ment.
whether the telephone company must charge than
ifs franchise provision states not question 10 be
5srre5 IN fairness If It cannot operate under the slip
uations of its franchise then It should be allowed enough
10 pay It for giving service, until such time as the charge
can be reduced Franchise obligations accepted plor 10
been iuerTered with seriously Dy Lhe "aA
and resultant rise IN prices Such things not con-
templated During the war many people and corporations
had to pocket to help the val Now that the
war IS over there for forcing any person OF
corporation to take loss for which this person OF COZ
porstion is not responsible
We should be fair to corporations and see that they
give Is service The American people do not want some
thing for nothing They want good service al Ia com
pensation If Investigation shows that an increase Is
necessary for time It is only fair to allow Il
But Investigate thoroughly and know where and how
TO act intelgenty Be fair to the people as vel as 10
the corporations and to the corporations as well as to the
people
alore profit" cries the middle man; more pay" wells
the laborer and moTe income demands the capitalist and
investor. Ground and round we do 90"
Even old Tupe PIuvius knows how to discriminate.
Sunday night rain fell only in certain spots IN Fl Paso
while certain other spots stayed in the dry territory
# men are judged by their enemies, then lot Of men
ought to very happy for there are some very lowy
enemies n FL Paso.
whv not run HI Wilson in 1920 on the issue that he
kept US out of Mexico in 1919?