The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1921-05-24
FUEL CHARGE
ELIMINATED
Public Service Commits
sion Decides in Favor
of Barre Men
Pow * COMPANY EX-
4 1DED AUTHORITY
ing of $4,000 a Year to
Manufacturers Is
Thus Assured

lltl tHhi Gc tut 4IOhtpCilti "
Barre Light & Power Co. sought to
charge its industrial customers, and
consequent saving of around $4,000
per year to the granite manufacturers
and quarters of the Barre district were
the outstanding features of an impor-
tant decision announced to-day by Neil
d. Clawson of Brattleboro clerk of the
commissions
The decision is the outcome of a
hearing held before the commission in
Montpelier April II. The plaintiff in
the case was the Barre Granite Manu-
facturers' association, Inc, and the de-
fendant the power company. Attor-
ney s. Hollister Jackson appeared for
the manufacturers, and he was assist
ed in an advisory capacity by Attor-
ney E. II. Deavitt. The appearance for
the power company were; Allen NJ
Hollis of Concord, n. H., and Attor-
ney F. f. Gleason OF Montpelier.
States Attorney F. B. Thomas repre-
| sented the state. Serving on the COM
mission at the hearing were: Chair
man w. A. Dutton of Hardwick, w.
K. Warner of Kergennes and Clerk
Clawson.
I'm effect, the order of the commits
sion makes permanent an order issued
last January when the company was
enjoined from charging consumers the
| coal rate until hearing should be
held on a petition brought in the name
of II. ]. NJ Jones, president of the as
sociation, in behalf of the manufac-
turers in Barre, Montpelier. Water
bury, Mortified, Berlin, Barre Town
and Williamstown. Previously the
company had notified its customers of
their purpose to tax them for coal
consumed in the manufacture of power.
To-day's order to discontinue the coal
charge was viewed with undisguised
satisfaction by manufacturers, for 1t
| brings to a halt what many have felt
| TO be an almost arbitrary purpose on
| the part of the power company TO tax
at will the principal industry in Wash
| ington county. In lengthy decision,
| the public service commission takes
the defendant sharply to account for
presuming to foist upon its custom
ers
"A schedule Of rates which leaves
TO the company power to Increase or
diminish its charges according to some
variable circumstances in its discretion,
does not furnish to the customer that
information which the law contem-
plates. Rates established by such
method are not fixed by law, but by
the will of the company"
Exception is taken TO the action of
the company of inserting in its operat
ing expenses for 1920 an item of Sla.
600, which in reality was the expenses
incurred by it in upholding its rate in
crease of 1919 before the commission.
Commenting thereon the commission,
in its decision. says:
"This item of expense is extraordi-
nary and is not properly chargeable
into the operating expenses OF any
one wear when these expenses are un-
der consideration for the purpose of
determining the fairness of rate.
At the hearing. the manufacturers
reminded the commission that if the
company could add coal and other
rates at its own pleasure, the manu-
faeturer of granite memorials could
never tell in advance just what his OPP
Grating costs would be, and, therefore,
could not fix an intelligent figure for
his selling price. To-day's decision
notes that "the rates Of a public serV-
ice corporation in force at any partic-
uIar time ought TO be certain The
schedules on file for public information
should contain sufficient data to enable
customer into whose manufactured
goods the eompany's product enters as
an element Of cost. to compute with
reasonable accuracy the expense Of that
element
Users Of Electricity Have Right.
Continuing. the decision says: I'm
the case before rs, users of electric cur
rent in the granite quarrying and man
ufacturing business have right TO
know the rates in force at any given
time. as a guide TO their judgment IN
fixing A price on their own product;
but II that rate may be varied in the
discretion Of the defendant according
as the moon hangs wet OF dry, II Is
blind guide"
mat Aue HNmhi--rAtH - NV AA-F'H't
10 relay to any corporation the powers
vested in il by the legislature Is indi-
Gated in the following paragraph;
"The proposed Fuel Charge, II in
operation. would place the matter Of
determining the times when and condi.
tions under which it, steam generating
plant should be used. entirely in the
hands u the defendant corporation and
10 effect render the defendant instead
Of the authority constituted by the leg
islsture the rate making power. To
state the effect q the operation Of the
said fuel charge in another manner, u
would amount to a delegation Of the
rate making power from the authority
constituted BY the legislature 70 the
corporation"
A good deal 81 stress Is placed on
the fact that 1920 was = sub-normai
war in the Barre distrlct; that a year
in which thee were ten weeks Of
strike AMI. toward the end. weeks and
weeks of inactivity could not Be used
ss basis f0r nsnprtaininC whether
rate inrreases authorized hv tire oom-
raissiou early last year Were enough, ot