The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-06-13
THRAVES SKINS
GAS COMPANY
Commissioners Very Ten
der in Administering
Rebuke.
CANDY WITH SPANKING
Gas Consumers Of Entire
State Levied on to Pay Re-
bate to Capitay City.

q. n Thrnvcs. who was pracu
caIlv thrown out Of thc employ ~
thc state corporation commission
bccausc hc dared TO take the parl
of he people against the trubl
which has had them b- the throat
has attracted much attention ana
favorable comment by his courh-
Tcous action. Naturally the friends
OF the commissioners have attempt
ed to discredit Mr. ThraVcF httl.
tudo by miAstHtoment OF factH ana
10 nulrfy the force Of the popular
Indignation against the commission.
This has led MT Thfaycs TO como
out In n personal statement. as fol-
lows;
Before I was discharged by the
corporation commission and came To
work ms assistant attorney general
I wrote an order requiring the OKLA
homa Natural Gas company, through
its agent the Oklahoma Gas A. Elcc-
tric Co, to rebate its customers ~
Oklahoma city for all gas furnished
thcm AT pressure below tour
ounces This was to ponalize the
company 10 some extent for suftcr
Ing caused by gas shortage, The
commission, In n weak moment. IN
open court. promised me To grant
r.
however for this apparent act OF
Justice to the public, the commis-
sion. under the gulsc OF getting more
gas for tho public, made fiat IN
crease In the oklahoma Natural Gas
companys rates. which Increased
it's revenue 5000 per day Dslkc
the iudulRent young mother, th'y
spanked their "fayorlte son" ana
fed him candy Rt the same timeD
The saddcst part about the story.
however. In that some 40 other cities
and towns OF oklahoma. Including
Tulsa. were required TO help pay for
the candy, or IN other words, got
charged IN with the increased rate,
but oklahoma city alone shared the
rebate. Tho only Just and equitable
thing for the commission To- have
done was for II TO require the OKLA
homn Natural To give rebates In nll
cities and towns In Oklahoma IN
which u shortage OF gas hnd oc-
ourrcd Il prepared the notices 30
as to include them nll. but all ok
cept oklahoma city WIS eliminated }
Az to the justice of the rate In
crease, the commission had nothinr
before It except the private vcrbo'
statement of the officials upon
which to bnsc n guess. Tho Okla
out presumably In the gus business
with an authorized capital OF $4,000,
600, To-day II has an authorized
capital OF si0.0O0,O00, Its sworl
valuation statement In she stat
auditors department gives $1,000.
900 IA the value OF Its property en-
ploved In the gas end Of Us business
and approximately s22.0o0.0OO n
value of it's property employed Il
the gas and oil business combined,
when u comes before the com
mission for rate making purposes
claims 1900, 900 ip gas husines
alone. but doesn't attempt to sho,
how much property Il is using 1
Developing and operating for oil. q
how the expenses OF the two depart
mentn nrc separated. or how mhc
money or material has been divcrte
from one department to tho othel
or how much OF the some 1900
acres OF oil and gas leases are ownc
and charged to the gas dcpartmer
and how much to the oil department
or how much OF the acrago has
possible potential gas supply. an
what effort IN being made to dcyelo
same for gas,
II the gas company is used To @,
plore for oil. then the public VIII
plays for the exploration shoul
share In the oil discovered or
buy a farm with your money an
discover q gold mine ON IL oouldr
take the gold mine simply by payir
you for the cost ~ discovery Meth
er Il the oil department Of the Okl1
homa Natural Gas company entitl'
to this oil discovered with the puf
lies money unless II pays the actu
value OF the oil dlseovored,)
The corporation commission Ia u
vested with administrative judici
and legislative powers for tho g
press purpose OF requiring publ
utilities to furnish data answcrir
the above questions,
The present commission as no
composed is helping the larger pu
lie service corporations TO 'Tmud,
the water" 40 the public cam
kno wthe truth The people mu
ten II to get out of their sunsh!n
or the people will go without he
and other utility service.
We have plcny OF gns In this sta
TO last for years, but If you let q
Oklahoma Natural get compile
monopoly and lay down on the tu
the public viii he at It's mercy.
The Oklahoma Natural Gas cor