Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1921-08-26

garding the collection of the increased
rate for gas, the Journal wrote to the
State Board of Public Utility Commits
sioners and the following letter has
been received:
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
BOARD OF
PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSIONERS
Trenton, August %, 1921.
MR.. CHAS. r. PAGE, Mgr,
Five Mile Beach Journal,
Wildwood, n. j.
Dear Sir: Referring further to your
letter of the 18th inst, this has been
submitted to the Board and the Board
has instructed me to write t you that
its order authorizing the Wildwood
Gas Company to put into effect. an
increased rate was conditional upon
the performance of certain work pre-
scribed as being necessary. 1t ap-
pearing that the work had not been
done the Board caused a letter to be
written on August I'd to Mr.. j. C.
Lightfoot, Jr., Treasurer of the Wild
wood Gas Company, which called at
tention to the fact that the improve
ments which were a condition of the
which stated
ANY charge by the company of an
increased rate under these condi-
tons would be improper and unlaw-
full. If the company has, upon a
mistaken assumption that it is en-
titled to an increased rate, sent out
bills and collected for gas at a
rate higher than that in effect on
May 18th the company should refund
the amounts collected"
Unfortunately the Legislature has
not given the Board of Public Utility
Commissioners power to require a
company which has made unlawful
charges TO refund the same. The
Board does not have the power of a
court to order a refund. There has
been nc change in the position of the
Board.
Very truly yours.
A. n. BARBER,
Secretary.
When interviewed by a Journal rep
resentative on Wednesday. Forrest NJ.
Rich, local manager for the Wild
wood Gas Company. stated hat the
gas rate now reverts back to the award
received by them sometime ago. of a
500 rate with a service charge of
$500. and this rate they expect to put
into effect at once. This means that
credit will be given on August gas
bills for any amounts paid by
ers for the July bills of the difference
between the $2.10 rate and the $3.50
rate which they had endeavored to
put into effect. They will also collect
the service charge of $500 from sum-
mer consumers, or % cents per month
from all year consumers.
As now arranged, the prepayment
of the company are set for Civ
ing gas at the rate of S1.S0 per thou
sand feet. This rate was changed
sometime ago and allowed by the Pub
lie Utility Commission TO S210 per
thousand and a service charge or rem
tai of the meter of $500 per year. The
were never changed to conform
with the new rate. but the company
e~ndeavored to collect the difference
when the money was collected from
the meter along with the service
charge of 25 cents per month from all
year consumers. The service charge
was very unsatisfactory as, owing to
the poor condition of the gas, the con-
claimed they were not getting
service" which they were asked to
pay 25 cents extra for. 1t was also
hard to understand why an additional
bill should be presented when they
had already put their quarter in the
slot and used the gas allowed. In May
a hearing was held in Atlantic City
and the Utility Board allowed the gas
company a fiat rate of $3.50 per thou
sand. dropping the service charge, and
provided that improvements were
made at the plant to assure good SER
vice for consumers. Without waiting
for these improvements to be COM
pleted the gas company e~ndeavored to
put the new rate into effect, presenting
a bill for the difference between $3.50,
as the meter was set for, and the new
rate of $3.50. and threatened to turn
the gas of if not paid. In a number
of cases the amounts were paid under
protest and many letters were written
the State Public Utility Commission
who notified the company that it was
unlawful for them to collect the $3.50
rate until the Improvements were
made. The local office claimed that
they had received no word of any such
order and continued to endeavor to
collect the $3.50 rate A letter was
written by the Journal to the Public
Utility Commission and the above an
swer was received Wednesday.
Manager Rich claims his company is
entitled to the second rate allowed by
the Public Utility Commission of $40