Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1921-02-04
Gas COMPANY WANTS
MORE FOR GAS THAT rs
BELOW The STANDARD

enc time age. an expert from the
/ University. working under lnstrue.
! sers ffom the urhana city council,
tsuaa the gas furnished II the con.
samefs af the Twin Cities ten per
cent below the standard required BY
the State Public Utilities Commission
sinse receiving that report Il would
BE- Interesting To know what action
the council has taken 10 have this
steal from tho users Of gas remedied.
| II We are paying set price for gas
that Is required 10 test nc A certain
per cent. why aren't the users of that
Observation-Disclosures entitled to re
bate Instead Of raise in price,
II Is well.known fact thai the gas
furnished Tor some time past has been
simply rotten Consumers In some
Instances are discontinuing It's use at
the expense OF much money Ia equip.
ping for the use Of electricity. And,
70 make matters worse. rates are now
higher than heretofore.
II merchant short.weights a Gus
TONER he Ia Liable to prosecution, a
farmer must sell 80 pounds of wheat
for n hushol: II u worker lays OF half
q day he II hocked. hui it public
utilities corporation cheats the pub.
lie out of 10 per cent OF the gas the
neona are paying for, II seems 10 be
ell right. and no restitution Of tho un.
earned money SO collected Ia expected.
Tat what IL privately owned pub
lie service corporation FOR but To make
all the money possible while III tho
salae time render as little service as
rsssihlcg How IL II there IL no law
thai VIII make q priyasciy.owned pub
Tic service corporation furnish all the
service that II is paid 10 furnish, aud
how Is Il that II there Is such law.
I 8 aot brought TO bear upon the of.
9aaaiag concern.
II, as the Investigation conducted
:. entity by the University shows. the
gss furnished by the local company IN
tea per cent heiow standard and that
the company has been collecting ten
per cent more than II should for the
quality of gas furnished. then why do
not the proper authorities proceed
against the gas company the same ~
Il would any ordinary thief who would
reach down Into the public's pocket
and extract unearned money there,
fromy
II seems TO be the custom for pri.
yately-owned public service corpora.
tlons to do pretty much ~ they see
no as TO the service they render and
rates they charge. These things are
supposed 10 be regulated by the Pub
lic Utilities Commission, but We take
notlcS there II no difficulty Ia eettinK
rates boossad skafystisbe ihd cofdpAny
thinks the public will stand for it
II priyately-owned public service
concerns are to continue. then the
owners must get busy and furnish
some real service. The public Is get.
ting tired OF being continually hood.
winked by these concerns. and are
gctting TO think and believe that such
concerns and the word graft are
iEseparable.
But, we suppose, as long as private
corporations own and control things
TINT are used by the public, the pub
lie must pay the flddler There is
tendency growing throughout the
country TO publicly.own publiclyuerd
thereby eliminating the graft
and giving the people the benefit Of
the profit collected az velvet" by pri.
yato owners For instance. Seattle.
wash, saves the public over 81 .000, ,o0e
q year by owning the electric plant.
Seattle has reduced the rate from sM
cents per kllowatt hour charged by
private owners 10 8 cents under pub.
lie ownership. Detroit citizens got
tired OF being robbed. and are now
city car lines and other pub.
lic utilities The Twin Cities can do |
the same II necessary