New Britain herald., 1920-01-16
LIGHT co. REFUSES
 TO BE QUESTIONED
Mill Not Attend Council Meeting
 Called for Tonight MAYOR QUIGLEY INDIGNANT

Bills If Charged Under New System
 for Any Period Previous to Jan-
 uary Twill Make Adjustments.
 Officials of the Connecticut Light and Power company having refused to appear before the common coun- cil at it's special session which was to have been held tonight, Mayor George A. Quigley was obliged to call the meeting off this afternoon. The mayor waXsd indignant when he read the eleventh hour message of the com pany in explanation of it's decision not to appear and concluded by mak- ing public this statement:
 Advises Against Payments.
 ''I advise the people of New Britain, patrons of the Connecticut Light and Power company, not to pay their electric light bills if they are charged under the new rates for any period preceding January l."
 A copy of the letter sent to the mayor was given out for publication this afternoon. The letter follows:
 Will Not Attend.
 Our attention has been directed to newspaper notices of a meeting which you have called for this evening with the members of tho common council of your city with reference to the recent change in tho form of lighting rates of this company.
 We do not imagine that this is the meeting which you suggested to Us might be held to discuss this sub ject, and therefore arc not planning to be present and in order that there may be no misunderstanding as to this we are writing you.
 Opposes Interference.
 Tt has always seemed to us that the form of our rates is question between tho company and it's indi vidual consumers, and with this in view we are more than pleased to receive and discuss any particular in quiries or complaints from individual consumers and we wish to assure you that we appreciate the cooperation which you have given us toward this end.
 AS to the complaints of Messrs. W. E. Winter and E. H. Davison and Mrs. H. c. 'Seeley, which are the cases you have called to our attention, We would state that a representative of the company has talked with each of the parties and assures us that he left them with the impression that they were satisfied the change in the form of rates should at least be given a fair trial.
 Ready fo;' Adjustments.
 Should you receive any further complaints than these, if you will be good enough to forward them to us d once. We will take the same course as We have with the others. We make this request because in practically all cases that have thls l far come to our attention the co:i- sumels, after having had the rate eN- : plaincd to them in detail, have felt , satisfied that the plan is fair and equitable and is worth giving a trial. Yours very truly,
 'lRNlN W. DAY. ice-President." Mayors Ultimatum. In Q telephone conversation with i District Superintendent N S Frank 1 lin following receipt Of the letter. !h, i mayor issued his ultimatum to the i company in which he declared that he was "Out after the company from now On.' He added: Your con- pany $ ONlc1alS agreed to meet wit h the members of the common council and now at the last minute you de- ! cline. Let me tell you, MT. Franklin, ! your company or any other company cannot pull anything like that on the citizens of New Britain"
 i Statistics which he claims Uer, given to him by the electric light off cial& when they met in private con- ference with him several days ago : were offered by the mayor this after noon in support of his claim that the charges are unjust. or the New Britain residents who daily make use of electricity, 23 per cent. of approx imately 1000, pay only s6 sb year for the service. The company, having found it impossible to operate on this: : basis, the mayor says. decided upon the meter charge of 50 cents a month, i or S6 year.
 ! The average flat has an area of : 500 square feet, they have found, |, 1 WEich, with the new area charge will :: bring S3.84 a year. Added to this an ] amount of juice as large as that ' formerly used by the average con- ! st1mcr, charged under the new re- ! duccd rates of five cents per kiloWatt ] Continued on Eleventh Page)