Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-05-28
DEFENSE AYERS


Tor a period of 10 years al an III.
ducement to the railroad company tt
locate it's shops in Deer Lodge ant
that at the expiration of the 10 years
the rate was to be increased to {
cents.
Colonel Nolan asked if, in addition te
TINS rate bonus, the water company
had not also paid the railroad com
pany a cash bonus, the witness re-
piled he did not know.
when asked if the state was moi
gallons for water furnished the capitol
building in Helena, Mr.. Bonner said
he did not know, but that he did know
the state was being supplied in Helena
under a scale graduated from 1872 cents
down to AZ cents per thousand gal
lens.
IN response to questions as to what
railroad companies were paying for
water at other points in the state, he
said the Northern Pacific railway was
paying So cents per thousand gallons
at Glendive and that the Great North
ern was paving 3.S cents per thousand
at Whitefish.
Beats G. N. Cost
He explained the latter rate by saw
ing that the Great Northern originally
had its W plant pumping water from
Whitefish lake, which cost it 4 cents
per thousand, but as the city of White
fish could deliver water at a production
cost of 30 cents, it contracted with the
Great Northern to deliver at 3.S cents.
effecting a saving for the railroad COM
pany and still giving the city an oper-
ating revenue He said the railroad
company used about 15O, 900, 600 gallons
a year at Whitefish.
He quoted water rates per 1000
gallons in other cities of the state as
follows: Butte, % cents down to 22.5
cents; Big Timber, 66.6 cents flat rate;
Billings, 1873 down to 1874 cents; Ham
ilton, 34.6 down to 8 cents; Missoula,
1865 cents; Deer Lodge, As down to 6
cents; Glendive, 5.S cents flat rate;
Kalispell, so cents.
er I. II. Macdonald, while making his
investigation of this feature of the
prison affairs, knew of the reason for
giving the Milwaukee railroad the
special rate on water at Deer Lodge,
Mr.. Bonner said that Macdonald came
into the office of the chief engineer
of the public service commission and
said his attention had been called to the
fact that Conley was discriminating
against the state in his charges for
water.
Show Letter to Macdonald
Mr.. Bonner stated that he gave Mac
Donald the tariff sheets of the South
Deer Lodge Water works and that he
read the explanation of Mr.. Scharni-
therein contained. The witness
said that this took place prior to the
publication of the Macdonald prison
Asked as to the steps necessary to
bring about an investigation by the
of charges of excessive
water rates the witness replied that
a letter Of complaint from a consumer
was all that was required.
He was then asked if he had ever
a letter from Governor Dixon to
the state at Deer Lodge be
reduced. He replied that be had never
such a letter.
Questioned by Attorney General
d. Rankin as to the right
Of a public service company to give
1 rate to a railroad lower than to an
,ther consumer, witness replied that
was no state supervision of rates
n 1909 and that the public service
commission did not CONE into being
md authority until in 1913.
The witness was asked by the de-
to produce more schedules of
water rates and data and he agreed
% nave such in court next Monday.
The state then sought to introduce
for water furnished the state
prison during the years covered by the
complaint, but Colonel Nolan stated |
here a no dispute as to these
laims and time could be saved BY in
reducing the totals. These totals for
he months and years, were read into
he record.
Previous to taking up this water
Attorney General Rankin had
~ndeavored to get into the record a
lain for money paid James Meany
or clay land adjoining the prison
rick yard purchased by the state at
100 per acre. it being desired to show
hat due to the much higher cost to
be state of the John Berne property
here was nc consideration for the de-
to Berne of the 271, 600 brick
by the defense to have been a
art of the purchase price.
Colonel Nolan objected s~trenuously
nd he objection was sustained by the