The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-12-17
Appears That Consumer Is to Get l62 1-2 Feet of Main Ex- tension Free, But Such Is Not the Case-Excess Must Be Paid to Utility
NO COMPETITIVE BIDS ALLOWED UNDER PLAN
No Provision Made For 0utIy-
 ing Communities to Get Service-NeW Rules, How
 ever, Are Improvement Over Old in Opinion of Harrison


 Rules on gas extensions of the Birmingham Railway, Light and Power company, promulgated by the Alabama public service com mission December 1, were declared by William l.. Harrison, con,mis- sioner of public utilities, Saturday, to be wholly unsatisfactory to the city.
 Commissioner Harrison charged that the rules did not conform to the commissions ruling of Septem- Der 19, and that they changed com pletely the system or basis under which extensions have formerly been made. He added that they were exceedingly voluminous and complicated, that they were so com plex that the average consumer would be utterly unable to under stand them, and that they denied to retail consumers the right to have competitive bids for construction of the work.
 Creates Wrong Impression
 It is pointed out in statement made by Commissioner Harrison that 1t would appear that the consumer ] is to get 162tz feet of free main ex- tension, but that such is not the case
 -%f l.Ft, l.t1I k ~,tI r,< found that the 1c21z feet applies only to service or stub pipe or it's equiv alent and that every foot of main extension is based upon 21s times the cost of service pipe extension.
 "The stub or service pipe extension is figured at AS cents per foot" said :, Commissioner Harrison, while the cost of main pipe is figured at $1.29 per foot. Therefore. the average free extension of main and service pipe which a prospective customer would get under the new rules would be 55 feet of main and 25 feet of ser vice pipe or stub extension. Any ex- cess to that must be deposited with the utility at the cost of $t.20 per foot for mains and 48 cents per foot for service pipe or stub extension.
 Commissioner Harrison interprets other features of the rules, and points out that where extensions are made for commercial purposes. all the estimated cost must be advanced by the prospective customer and that the excess over the estimated cost must be returned by the utility upon completion of the work Prospec- tive comm ercial customers may, ac- cording to Commissioner Harrison have the work done themselves il they think the estimated cost exces- sive. It Is pointed out that exten- sions for speculative purposes come under practically the same regula- H tions as commercial extensions.
 No Rule For Outlying Points
 The public service commission ha. II rot yet indicated, Commissioner liar M rison points out, what course outly- H ing communities shall pursue in ask H ing for extensions. The commission H declared in it's decision of Septemb CT H 1s, however, that it. was the duty oi H the utility to make such extensions N and Commissioner Harrison says ir II his statement that the city has been H promised at an early date advice as N to how such communities shall pro- H coed. Commissioner Harrison adds N that no rules have been formulated H on electric extensions, but that . H hearing on that matter has beer H promised py tne puoiic eerVce com H mission.
 eWe are not at all satisfied with Il the new rules" said Commissionel H Harrison. "We concede, however H that they are great improvement H oyer the old ones, for during ths Il six months period we have beer Il working on extensions, we have II learned that the old rules were II never intended to encourage or pro. | mote gas or electric extensions, but II on the contrary were intended to dis h courage them, the old rules being ir xffao+ pro oficaltx-- probihitiva