Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-05-07

The commission has this to say on the
coke problem as it affects the domestic
consumer:
petitioner will have a prosperous
year in 1921 If it disposes Of it's coke at
good price and viii have a bad year il
the coke market is poor for the whole
period. 1t appears that a very large
amount Of coke might be sold on the
local market If petitioner would make
the attempt. 1t seems that petitioner
has not been in any wise interested in
the market prospects locally, believing
that it viii be able to dispose Of its
coke in other markets later in the year
to much better advantage
MUST PUT COKE PRICE
DOWN WITHIN REASON.
THE evidence shows that the retail
price of coke in indianapolis to the alti-
mate consumer has been lately from $IA
to S15 per ton. 1t is hardly to be expect-4
ed that the thousands of people who
would burn coke if it could readily be
purchased at a reasonable price viii do
much to reduce petitioners coke stock un-
til the price is put down somewhere
within reason. The fact is that the local
coke business has not been encouraged
by the petitioner. 1t has no facilities
for direct selling 1t has no yards. It's
pleasant. All its coke is sold through
Domhoff and Joyce Company, its sole
selling agents.
The dealer is not permitted to send
his trucks to the petitioners yards for
coke. The coke must in all cases be
loaded in cars at the plant and shipped
to the dealers yards. This involves a
loading cost. freight charge, an unload
Ing cost and some shrinkage and deteri-
Grafton, and the coke must still be loaded
on trucks and delivered to the consumer.
Petitioners witnesses testified that the
price of coke at the plant had lately been
50 per ton. The retail price has been
above S14 a ton. Some one is mistaken
about prices or else the margin is too
great"
In making the order the commission
placed a valuation of S12 100000 on the
property of the gas company.
The commission declined to allow the
company as an operating charge a
shrinkage of S245, 900 in its inventories,
due to Juggling" Of COKE charges.
ACCEPT COMPANY
ENGINEERS VALUATION.
The commission arso found that the
coke in stock should not be valued as an
asset at more than So a ton.
The company was ordered to make q
monthly report TO the commission show
ing the income account and balance
sheet and an itemized report Of coal and
coke.
The valuation placed by the commits
sion on the property was that of the
commissions engineering department.
which the company agreed to accept
without question, according to the order.
In reply to the contention Of the city
Of indianapolis that the law of 1907, tx
ing the rate to be charged for gas in
indianapolis at 90 cents a thousand cu-
bic feet, is still standing, the commis-
sion holds In its order that this law "has
been in effect repealed by the public
service commission act. At the same time
it points out that under the circum-
stances the commission must find that
an emergency exists and that higher
rate is necessary in order to avert
threatened injury and the continuance OF
the emergency.
The order sets out the British thermal
unit tests of gas supplied during the
year 1920 and quotes its regulations that
gas shall be supplied at about $40 B. T.
Us and not less than $40, nor more than
COO. The figures show that the average
for the year at both plants of the Citi-
zens Gas Company to be 55 B. T. Us.
POINT OUT COMPANY
OWN RATES BOOSTED.
In considering the quality of the gas
the commission points out that the COM
pany increased its own rates when its
lowered quality of gas from its previous .
standards, because it costs less to pro-
duce poor gas than good gas.
In respect to rates the commission also
has the following to say:
''The commission does now insist and
will in the future insist that the pc
titioner maintain the heating value and
pressure of its gas to the artificial gas
utilities, approved by the commission in
cause No. 5,172. There may have been a
valid excuse for the failure to maintain
the gas service at the required standard
during all of the year 1920, on account of
the difficulty Of securing an adequate
supply Of high grade gas coal during the
coal emergency. That reason does not
now exist and there is no reason, SO far
as the commission is informed, why the
petitioner should not maintain the quail
ity and pressure of its gas at or above
the required standard"
ALSO CITES REMARKABLE
DIFFERENCE" IN SHoWINGS.
The commission points out that tks
during January showed a de-
felt of S113OOO and that during tha