The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-12-15
GAS COMPANY SAYS REVENUE
 IS NOT GREAT


 The Consumers League, this city,yes- terday presented it's case against the Bridgeport Gas Light company before the Public Utilities Commission at Hartford.
 The League was represented by At torneys Lavery and Finkelstone, and committee composed of James F'ahey, Fred Brewer. and Charles Freedman. The Carpenters and Bak- CTS Unions were also represented. The evidence of the peu1t1oners was intended to show that the so- per month, was ''unfair unjust and l nequitable" It was also claimed that by this method the small con- | sumner paid a larger price in propor- | ton to the amount of gas he used than did the large consumer. The petitioners took the ground that if the | Gas company needed to increase its revenue 1t should increase the price l If gas equally to all, and not try to | 5ecure an increase of income by means of the service charge.
 | David s. Day, attorney for the Gas to the company for every customer was considerably more than $6 be- l fore any gas whatever had been de- Iivered. This cost, he said, was made up of such items as the .upkeep of the pipes, taking care of com 1 plaints, leaks and repairs, reading
 meters, payment of taxes, insurance,
 and the cost of the whole force en l plOyed outside the planC where the | gas is manufactured.
 'If you would come to the plant and get your own gas" said MT. Day. | there will be no service charge need
 er."
 In connection with the claim that | the company should increase the
 price of gas if it wanted increased
 this would not result in the antici- pated equality, and that it might mean that the price would be con- 1 siderably increased, for the reason that is order for the big users of gas
 to buy it, it must be sold at a price
 that competes with other forms of | fuel. If the price is raised beyond a
 certain figure it will then no longer compete with those other fuels, with
 the result that the big consumer of
 gas would give up it's use in favor of
 the cheaper fuel This would in
 the small consumer and means a
 much higher price eventually.
 MT. Day also pointed out that if l there was no service charge it would
 be necessary to increase the present
 price at least 20 cents per 1000 feet,
 and claimed that then the men using
 from s3 worth up, would be helping
 to pay the overhead for the man pay
 ing from $3 down.
 Ralph R. MunSon, treasurer, sub
 mitted a statement of the company's s business for the ten months ending Oct. 31. This statement showed that during that period the actual total
 STAT, ,323.30; distribution costs. $21O,-
 664.2S; overhead expenses, s36,7S41S; total interest charges on bonds notes, etc, s7S.SS7.6O: a total gross l expense of S1,073.659.36.
 , Against this there was for the ter
 months period a total revesue of s1.-
 95,291.66, making a net profit to the :. company of s126, 6,162-77, which it was
 shown was less than a five per cent
 return on the invested ca pital. It is . said to be a general rule of utility !, t.os1 missions to consider rates wh:cf only give a return of five per cent. ol . less confiscatory.
 The treasurer's figures showed tha7 i if the service charge. which has beer t in operation but a month, had beer
 in force for the whole ten-m ontf
 period it would have produced $195,.
 115.75; on the same basis the increase Q in expenses would have amounted te r S255, ,61S.01.
 . Increase in expense was shown by : the evidence to have been caused, 1T r a great measure. by the fact that the
 Gas company, previous to 1920. ha6 . on coal and oil, It was impossible
 to renew these again and, a result costs have been rising ever since theil :. expiration on July 1st. Since tha time there has been a 93 per cent q raise in the cost of oil, and 75 pel
 estimated that a raise of one cent pel gallon in oil increases the cost o1 v 1000 feet of gas over three cents
 and that a difference of s 1 a ton fol coal makes a difference of just under :, l three cents a thousand feet of gas. The petitioners were inclined tc . question the statement that an in
 crease of as much 20 cents per 1.00t