Evening star., 1920-06-18
POWER SURCHARGE.
WOULD HIT PUBLIC
Means Increase In Prices of
Goods, Business Men Say
at Pepce Plea Hearing.

If the Public Utilities Commission
grants the petition Of the Potomac
Electric Power Company to add a sur
, OF current as the price Of coal goes
up. this surcharge will be felt by the
people In the prices they pay for
everyday commodities.
This was predicted by several busi-
ness men at the hearing before the
commission yesterday afternoon on
the company's application. The whole
sale users of current told the commits
sion that they could not afford to alb
sorb the extra charge to meet the
price of coal and would have to place
1t on the prices of the goods they
sell.
The company asked that this extra
charge to meet the cost of coal be
applied only to schedule e. custom
ers, who are eighty-five tn number.
and the largest users of current. Some
of the merchants argued that 1t would
be more equitable to distribute the
extra charge among all electric cur
rent users, since the coal increase al
fects all current generated.
Furnish Current mt Loss.
William F. Ham, president of the
company, testified that, while the Po-
| tomac Electric Power Company as a
| whole is making a profit 1t is fur
| nishing current to schedule E' Gus
| toners at less than cost. Mr.: Ham
| pointed out that the company muss
| furnish service upon request, and
warned the commission that II
| schedule E" business expands much
| more at the present rate 1t VIII tie
the company up so that 1t may not
1 be able to furnish any current.
4 ;SS
i attention to the fact that the electric
| rate for small consumers Is still be-
! fore the District Supreme Court. ana
said there was some question In his
| mind whether the commission could
| change any Of the electric schedules
while the case is before the court.
4 s. r. Bowen, counsel for the COM
pany, replied that in his judgment
the Injunction issued by the court to
prevent the reduction from 10 to 3
4 users of current did not affect sched-
ule E. and therefore does not tie the
commissions hands with respect to
this schedule.
i The Commissioner then suggested
that If the surcharge to cover coal
i increases should be applied to sched-
II ule only the users of current under
1 that schedule might easily contest
h the order in court on the ground
/ that they were Disseminated against
II In faNOr OF OIner users OIL CuTEcHtt
II Mr.. Bowen argued that 1t would not
1 be discrimination to place the sur
charge only on schedule F.. because
| this class of service is now being rem
\ dered at less than cost.
May Renew Own Plants.
4 Representatives of several large
1 firms warned Mr.. Ham that if the sur
i charge is allowed they may resume
i the manufacture Of their own current
| and withdraw from the Potomac COM
! pany as soon as possible. They pro-
/ tested that they gave up their own
/ power plants to take Potomac cur
(, rent at the company's solicitation.
i Mr. Ham advised the business men
L to consider the items Of expense very
1 carefully before going back to their
i own power plants.
/ At the request Of Justin NJ Cham
l berlin, attorney for the Washington
II steel and Ordnance Company, the
i commission continued the hearing un-
II til 10 o'clock on the morning OF July
4 / to permit the users Of current under
schedule e to study the company's
Il evidence and reply to It.
II It was testified that the surcharga
would amount to about a "a per cent
increase in the bills. Of the schedule
II e customers. T. ESQ