The Washington times., 1929-05-06
EXPERT To AIR
POWER RATE
GOUGE
BY nj. L. RAMSAY
Universal Service

Charging wholesale gouging of
electric consumers throughout the
country, Morris Llewellyn Cooke
submitted a mass of evidence to
the Federal Power Commission to.
day as the first step in a ma
tional campaign for sweeping re.
duction of household rates.
A nationally known engineer and
director of the Pennsylvania giant
power survey, Cooke has gathered
cost records to show that the
average Of rates ranges from two
to three andA more times as high
as domestic rates ought to be.
Keep Rates Up
Amazingly excessive charges for
distribution" have been made the
pretext for keeping rates up to
this high level. Cooke said yester.
day.
The high rates, he added, de.
prive women of the use Of many
electric appliances that would lift
the burden Of housework from
their shoulders.
Fair rates for domestic service"
said Cooke in an open letter to
the power commission, based on
cost plus a fair profit, will easily
and fairly promptly treble the use
of electricity in the American home
and thereby largely tighten the
druggery of housekeeping"
Cooke expressed belief that he
has torn away the last veil of
secrecy surrounding the fixing of
rates for electric current-the cost
of distribution. or of getting cur
rent from the sub-station to the
consumers meter.
Studies based on the sworn state
ments of numerous publicly and pri-
vate owned plants indicate. that the
whole cost of distribution is approx
mately $3.50 per year domestic con-
sumner for 500 kilowatt hours of
service, or a cent and a half per
kilowatt," Cookies letter said.
Includes 45 Plants
Reports of expert analysis of
costs in As private plants and 10
publicly owned plants, in the 10
States, were included in his letter.
This represents a wider examina-
tion than has ever been made be-
fore, Cooke, said, and the first ex-
animation that has ever revealed
the tube costs of distribution to
domestic users.
His letter also cited dong list of
authorities to support the conten-
tions that there has been conceal
ment and ignorance regarding dis
tribution costs and that domestic
rates are unjustifiably high.
Urging a new ALLEGATION of costs
of service, especially the distribution
costs, by classes Of service, Cooke
said:
when all such items of prelimi-
nary cost have been included in the
demand feature of the rate system
then tho charge for current actually
delivered over any individual SER
vice will be necessarily at a very
low raIe-certainly not to exceed 2
cents per kilowatt hour and possi-
bly, a good deal below that"
Goes Into Every State
Cooke will place his open letter in
the hands of every State Public
Service Commission in the country,
with the object of inducing them
to require full disclosure and proper
ALLEGATION of costs. This will pave
the way, in his opinion, for orders
for rate reductions.
He also plans to lay his findings
before a number of Senators and
seek the organization of sentiment
throughout the country to force a
reduction of domestic rates.
AS director of public works of
Philadelphia, Cooke won a 81 ,O50,0
rate reduction from the Philadel
phia Electric Company. He organ
lied the valuation conference held
in Philadelphia in 1915, and the
power section of the Emergency
Fleet Corporation. He was
member of the committee which
drafted the emergency power act,
carrying an appropriation of $780,
600 for power purposes, in war
days.
He has acted as consultant in elec-
trio matters to New York, Buff
falo. Norfolk, Lexington, Boston
and other cities.