Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1925-03-25

Gas Company to reduce the price
! from $3.50 to S2.70-just about the
price of a good cigar.
| Now as far as the price is con-
cerned, let us compare the price
| with some of these other corpora
| ttions, gas corporations that have no
| better facilities for making gas than
) we have, although they make a
greater amount.
| will read from the New York
', Times of November 14th, 1921. 1t
says: Gas Case Appeals May Be-
| gin Today. City to Ask First U. S.
Supreme Court Ruling on Rates
During War Times" 1t says: Con
| solidated's 1919 Return Was "a Cents
| Out of so. Asks $34,390,342 Nalua-
ton Cut" Now, was informed Sat
| urday that this matter is not out of
litigation yet, and they claim, be-
side the twenty four cents out OF the
| eighty cents net. they claim more
| than that because the directors and
| some of the agents who buy the ma
! terial have been paying from twenty
to forty cents more for the material
! than the market price. Now that
gives you somewhat of an idea of
what 1t costs to manufacture gas,
| and in the manufacturing of gas they
have a great many by-products. Here
'Stc SOiltc vi llic ~ III tIIfl I
they sell. They have coke. Last
year, in 1924-this is in the Treas
urer's report-they had 1853 tons of
coke. They have amonia. They made
1875 pounds of amonia. They made
| l5.103 gallons of oil gas tar. These
/ are all by-products. Also coal gas
| tar. 327,137 gallons made. All this
is by-product which comes from the
manufacture of gas and which helps
to pay for the gas, and I have been
told that If they manufactured
could get the gas for nothing.
, Now. the gas company has fallen
! behind in their production of gas.
! There has been Il decrease in sales
! of A 500 cubic feet. according to
| their report. since last year. Beside
| that the average consumption per
| mile of main in 1924 was 3,934,79S
cubic feet as against 4064,919 cubic
| feet in 1923 or a falling off of 1870,
| 12l. Does that look as though they
| needed this money to enlarge their
! plant when they are falling back in
Il great many articles? Does that
look as though they needed to water
! their stock as much as this calls for ?
! Now, as far as the issuing of bonds
! Is concerned. they could so to the
| Public Utilities Commission and get
! permission to issue as many bonds as
! they wanted, but when they come to
| issue such as that, to double their
| capital stock to two million dollars,
! and then issue bonds and mortgage
their property TO cover the bonds, 1t
! looks very much as though they were
/ going outside of the State in some of
the large cities to offer their stock,
as the Cumberland County Power
| and Light Company have done.
Now, gentlemen, | know that this
| is somewhat tireSome to you and
! that you are not all as much inter-
! ested in this as | am, but you should
/ be, and l ask you. in the name of the
citizens of Westbrook, and of South
| Portland and Portland, are you going
/ to put this great burden upon the
| consumers and tax them for the in
! terest on these bonds or are you go
/ ing to adopt this amendment? That
! is the question. l am sure you will
/ be doing no great injustice to this
! company. They are making money
/ and they are rich men. and it is a
/ good investment for anybody. But
| am willing to concede everything;
! that | can. ! am not prejudiced
against them in any way. | am will
| ing to concede everything | can eX-
! cept my pocketbook, and | cannot do
! that.
/ Now. gentlemen, | hope You will
! pass this amendment to the bill.
I You will be doing no one an injuS-
| ticc but you will be doing something
that will result in great benefit to the
! consumers. There are twenty five
/ thousand outside of Portland and
/ there are over fifteen thousand in
! hn oil Of artl 10 nd
this gas. and the company can sup
/ ply that gas to the city of Portland
| and to the outsiders. They can sup
! ply it. l. am sure. for sl.35 and make
q big profit. These two companies
! are in peculiar position at the pres
ent time. They are in litigation in
! the city of Westbrook, and was told
! last week that they now are willing
| to sell out to the Portland Company
and to leave the price to arbitra-
! ton by outsiders, and the Portland
| Company is willing to take them over
! and can supply the gas just as the
| Westbrook Company has been doing
right along. They say they are will
| ing to do it
| Now, gentlemen, l think I have
talked long enough. | thank you for
| your attention. (Applause.)
NIL - w oob u IOtlIdnu. ME-.
| Speaker and members of the House:
| The interest of the gentleman from
| WeStbrook, Mr.. Gilmour, in this mat
J ter seems to find its origin in the
| dissatisfaction with the rates which
| are charged the people of Westbrook
! by the Westbrook Gas Company
! This bill has to do solely with the
| Portland Gas Light Company. and
| there is no connection between these
/ two companies other than con-
| tractural one; that is, that the Port
| land Gas Light Company sells gas to
the Westbrook Company, but both
! being public utilities the price at
| which the gas shall be sold is fixed
by the Public Utilities Commission,
and the rates charged the consum-
ers are fixed by the Public Utilities
! Commission, and neither company
can fix the rate to be charged.
/ There is nothing in this bill in its
| original form which in any way af-
fects the rates. 1t provides solely
that the Portland Gas Light Com
' pany may increase their capitaliza-
J ton and may issue bonds, but 1t
, specifically provides that no bonds
| Shall be issued unless approved by
| the Public Utilities Commission, and
IL also provides that none of the DOW
ers included in the act can be used
except under the control and regula-
! ton of the Public Utilities Com
mission. And so the final use of
! these powers, the discretion as to
whether they can be exercised, is in
| the Public Utilities Commission and
not in the company. 1t merely gives
| them the right to go to the Public
Utilities Commission, and the final
discretion is in that Commission.
The Committee has seen fit to re-
port this bill Ought to pass" and
understand that the gentleman from
, NeStbrook. Mr.. Gilmour, appeared
| at the hearing. and the Commit q O