The Lamar register., 1919-03-12

difficulty during tine war, nut the evil
dence shows that other industries at
Lamar and vicinity were able to Sc
cure fairly efficient help, and all other
electrical companies experienced the
same difficulties as did this company.
but the Commission knows of no in
stance in the state where service con-
ditions were such as the evidence
shows existed at Lamar during the
past several months.
In the order of this Commission
made September 81, 1915 in the mat
ter of the application Of the Inter
mountain Company for permission to
increase its rates and charges for ele-
ctric service in the City Of Lamar, the
Commission stated:
"The Lamar plant of the Intermoun-
tain Railway, Light and Power Com
pany is very inefficient one, the coal
consumption being in excess of 16 lbs.
of bitumious coal per kilowatt hour Of
output. While il is fully realized that
this condition cannot be corrected at
this time on account Of the difficulty
in securing equipment, the company is
not entitled to any reward for efficient
operation in the disposition of this
case. The cost of steam power plant
generation alone for the year 1917 was
20 per cent of the operating revenues
for that period and this ratio will pro-
badly be increased for the year 1918
There is also very high unaccounted
for loss in distribution, which, in the
opinion of the Commission. does not
result largely from leakage through
trees, as stated by Mr.. van Diest in
his testimony"
The company further contended tina
it was preparing to install machinery
and make changes which would rend-
er service adequate and efficient. The
Railroad Commission Of California.
under a statute similar to ours, has
held:
"In times past in this state efforts
on the part of the public authorities to
give reasonable rates and adequate
service have been met with long-con-
tinued litigation, and if the public au-I
thorities have at hand an efficient and
summary method of forcing public
utilities to accord to their patrons such
rates and adequate service,
then, in our opinion. II is their duty to
use it, If any territory served by an
existing utility is affected by such
utility with excessive rates or ineffi-
cient service. and a second utility Of
the same kind desires to enter such
territory, and this Commission should
say to the existing utility although
when you had matters your own way,
you lost sight of your duty to the
public. yet we shall still preserve for
you this territory in consideration of
your future good behavior in how
many instances does one suppose a
new utility would apply to enter a
territory served by an existing util-
ity when the only effect of all its
trouble and expense would be the
of the rate and the i'm
of the service of the exist
ing utility? And hence if we should
in the very first important contested
application for a certificate of public
and necessity announce
the rule that where the major portion
of territory is served. though inef-
and at high rates, the result
of such application will be merely to
put the existing utility upon its good
behavior, then we would, in effect, be ]
saying to all the offending utilities of
this state, if there be any. you may
proceed with your present methods un-
til competition knocks at the door of
your territory and only then will you
be compelled to do Justice and we
would be saying to every new public
utility, you will knock in vain at the
door of any field now served by a util- |
ity.' The result would be that old
utilities would keep their territory un-
spurred by the fear of competition.
knowing always that only when it was
need they prepare to do
justice to their patrons, and the new
having no incentive to apply |