Evening star., 1921-11-07
D. c. Commission
TO MAKE APPEAL
U. S. Supreme Court to Be
Asked to Rule on Appel
late Decision.

The Public Utilities Commission will
appeal to the United States Supreme
Court from the decision of the Court
OF Appeals on the valuation Of the
property of the Potomac Electric
Power Company. Corporation Coun-
sci Francis H. Stephens made this an
nouncement at the District building
as soon as he learned. that the ap-
pellate court had reversed the Dis
tr1ct Supreme Court by deciding in
favor of the company.
The fact that the District intends
to go to the United States Supreme
Court means that the decision rem
dered today will have no effect on
the rates now charged by the COM
pany for current.
. What Records Show.
Records of the Public Utilities Com
mission show that on August 81 last
the power company had set aside
S2.ol9,962.5S. representing The. diff
ference between the 10 cents per
kifowatt hour actually paidaby the
consumers and the sO75 cents which
the company is allowed to use pend
ing final settlement of liberalization
case in court
This impounding find is growing at
the rate of about $4,000 month, and
it was estimated 1.-The District build
-
before final decision is reached there
viii be more than, s., 100000 in the
fund. - -
II the United States Supreme Court
decides finally In favor Of the COM
pany the total amount Will belong to
the corporation.--
II the final decision is in favor of
the commission the company Will have
to return to each user of electricity
his share of the several million dol
lars. Here is a brief history of the
case:
In 1917 the Public Utilities Commits
sion completed its valuation of the
electric light company's property. I'm
der the utilities act the commission is
directed to give each company rates
for service that will yield a reason
able return on the value of the prop
erty..
At that time the company was
charging 10 cents per kilowatt houi
for current in private households
which the commission believed wa.
yielding more than a reasonable
return.
Using the newly established valua'
tion. as the basis for its action. the
, commission ordered the rate fol
residence reduced to cents pc,
! that rate would yield the company
! q ;ret1rn of 6 per cent. In the las
: rats decision in September the coI?l'
mission stated that the rate now ir
effect would yield the company z pei
cent under the commissions valua.
tion.
The reduced rate. however. never
became effective. The company ap.
pealed too the District Supreme Cour,
on the ground that the commission
|. had valued the property too low. The
court issued an injunction preventing
/ the commission from enforcing tht
eight-cent rate until the courts couIt
pass upon the valuation.
Under the terms of the injunction
the company continued to 1ect II
cents from the consumer, but was re-
auired by the court to set aside
cents. In September, 1920. the COM
mission. with the approval of the court
| allowed the company to keep S1z cents
and set aside ~ cents.
In September of this year the com
mission ordered s per cent reduction
! in the Sta-cent rate. which means tina,
the company now keeps 8.075 cents pei
kilowatt hour and inpounds the bal
ance of the 10 cents collected.
Through all of this litigation tht
consumers have never stopped paying
! 10 cents per kilowatt hour. and unit
! the last court decision has been hand
! ed down they will continue to pay
| 10 cents.