The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-12-17
Cites Rebates

from intimidation"
Cites Rebates
Becoming specific regarding the
basis Of his charges against the eve
ming newspaper Gilliom read from a
blueprint from figures tending to
prove that in May, 1924, the News
paid 1925 for service from one of the
utilities which should have been
billed as 1887. He declared that at
the time the charges were made pub
lie both electric power companies
entered a plea Of guilty to have
given rebates and paid fines Of 81, 900
each.
Having completed his remarks on
rebates and price concessions the az
torney general took up the legal
phases of the jurisdiction question.
He sided with every contention
made by counsel for the utilities. He
told the commission:
l. whe public service commission
has a right to hear this case on the
petition presented in it's amended
form.
2. 1t is not necessary for the new
company to acquire property plants
or be an operating company to come
within the scope of the commission
3. 1t is not necessity for the new
company to be the holder Of a fran
chise as held by the merger oppo
nents because Of Rule II Of the com
| mission.
4. That the combined capitalize
tons of the companies which it is
sought to merge does not have tC
form the basis of the capitalization
Of the new company.
5. That the commission and the
commission alone will determine
what the merger capitalization will
be and because the petititn asked
for a capitalization of over S5S,000.
| 600 1t does not follow that amount
will be granted.
A complete report of what G,llion
said in regard to his charges thai
the utilities have continued to grant
rebates follows:
|
own records that in 1924 through It's
auditing department 1t was discov
cred that these two utilities engaged
in highly discriminatory practices
Rebates and discounts were secretly
given to consumers Of light, hea'
and power on a large scale. There
Is no question about that. The tive
utilities were prosecuted and paiC
fines aggregating $4,000 each, anC
sometimes, while some folks say tina
they represent the dear people, anC
that We must do something here t.
protect the dear people, when w,
look behind the scenes, we find self
ish motives.
you may fool the people occa
sionally, and sometimes for a while
and sometimes all of them, bu
all the people always. and IL hav,
anything to do with 1t here you ar,
not going to be able to fool the peo
pie of Indianapolis much longer
| cbOuI NAlN tlSbbAiiSS SNllSl 81 , OiliSC
nor are you going to fool them mucl
longer about some of the motives
that have caused some of these un
seemly, un-American efforts to in
timidate State officers in a mattel
where the Legislature itself has sug
gested in rather plain language wha
the duties should be.
One of Beneflciaries
Il speak about the indianapolis
News as ono of those agencies. II
1924 1t happened to be one of tn
beneficiaries of one of these rebate,
and discounts. The commission dis
covered it, found that on a billin;
of May, 1920, whereas it should hav
paid $337.50. under the unlawful
criminal practice of accepting know
ingly rebates and discounts, it paiC
$225.
II have before me the blueprints
the data from the public servic,
commission records that show tina
some Of these people who have EN-
ployed lawyers that are here object
ing to this commission doing any
thing in this matter and posing a.