The Connecticut labor news., 1921-08-19
Service Charge" Is Officially Ended But Householder M u S t Pay 50 Cents Extra for First Hundred Feet.

Hartford, Aug. l9.-The directors of voted to abolish the sO-Called ''service charge" although the same principle was retained by instituting a minimum month lv charge of 50 cents regardless of whether gas is used. The first 100 feet will cost 6l cents, including the minimum charge, and each additional 100 feet used by the majority of consumers will be II cents. However, as a reduction of 10 cents on each 1000 feet Is allowed for payment of bills within ten days, this means that the rate has been reduced from $l.lO to $l for ,OOO cubic feet.
 Manager E. E. Eysenbach, in announc- ing the new schedule. which will be sub mitted to the public utilities commission, said Hartford has the lowest gas rate in New England, the average being 20 to 4U cents below the 1000 cubic feet charge in Providence, Boston, Spring tleld Worcester and other leading cities. On the other hand, he said, the company is the only gas company in New England to show no falling off in business, con- pared with 1920
 Mir. Eysenbach said the average house. holder using gas range and some gas for lighting uses 5000 to 5000 feet a month and hence the reduction of 10 cents will be substantial. He said it was decided to abolish the "serviCe charge" and use a minimum charge" merely because 1t was thought that some people had taken a violent objection to the former term. However, of the 38,OOO people dealing each month with the com pany, he added, few had registered any complaint.
 The new reduction means 5 cents a 1000 for fairly large gas users, while to large users the reduction IS slight Alr. EysenbaCh said the new rates are most favorable to the user of limited quantity. The old rates were from 95 cents to $l.lO for 1000 feet, while the new rate is g cents to $l.
 MT. Eysenbach's explanation of the action taken follows:
 We have filed with the public utili- tles commission a new rate schedule, same to take effect on all bills rendered after October l, 1921. This rate schedule means a saving of about $1OO,OOO to our gas customers. It is a saving of 10 cents per 1000 for the smaller customers using less than 10000 cubic feet per tor customers using between 10000 and 5o,ooo cubic feet per month It means only very slight reduction for the lare- est customers
 There is not city in New England today, large or small, that has as low rate as we have just announced. The use ot the words service and customer charge have been dropped, but the prin- clple ot this charge has been retained, by making the first units of service cost more than additional units.
 Goal and oil at the source have been reduced to the 1919 price level, but the enormous freight increase that became effective August %, 1920, has added about $8OOOO to our freight bill Be- sides this our wages are still considerably higher than they were in 1919 If it were not for these items a greater re- duction would be possible.
 Rates to be adopted are as follows: Minimum bill, 50 cents per month; first 100 feet used per meter per month, 6l cents, all additional hundreds up to 1OO,- OOO cubic feet per month, II cents per hundred; all over the first 100000 cubic feet per month, lO.2 cents per hundred discount ot one cent per 100 feet pro- ylded payment is made at company's of hce within ten days from date of bill and provided all previous bills are paid
 We have a few prepay meters in use. On these the rates will be Is cents Der hundred. Every four months adjust nlents will be made to our regular sched- ule