Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-08
MARYLAND TOWNS
TO GET CURRENT
Potomac Edison Company
Works. Out Agreement With
Montgomery Communities.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

BALTIMORE, October 8.-That the
Potomac Edison Electric Fewer co.
stood ready and willing to supply cur
rent to the communities OF Woodheld,
2 Cedar Grove. Hendersons Corner,
Clarkesburg, Lewisdale. Browningsville
and Etchison at rates as low, not
lower, than the Consolidated Gas Elec-
trio Light & Power Co. was the state
ment of r. Paul Smith, vice president
of the Potomac Edison Co., at a hear
ing before the Public Service CommlS-
sion yesterday.
r, The hearing was held on petition Of
residents of these communities, VINO mao
banded together under the name OF the
Montgomery County Electric Light ana
Tmnrovement Association, who claimed
that these communities were being dis
criminated against by the Potomac
Edison Co., the Damascus Light d
Power Co. and the Potomac Electric
Power Co. of Washington, which mao
refused to extend their lines except at
exorbitant rates.
Petition Filed.
%, The association, through Attorney
Joseph G. Cissel, filed formal petlt!on
on September "a asking the commission
to direct, the Consolidated Co. OF Balti-
more to enter this territory which, un-
der an agreement between the three
power companies, had been aLotteo 10
the Potomac Edison Co.
Mr. Smith declared on the stand that
had it not been for the Damascus 20.
ali these communities would now pe
served with electric energy by tneA
clared. was formed by residents OF these
communities and bought their current
from the Potomac Edison Co. In view
of this fact, he said, their company
would not feel it was just the rlgnt
thing to do to start serving communl.
ties contiguous to the territory served
hv the Damascus Co. and IN tnaC way
enter into direct competition WIN tne
company which was buying ltS power
from the Potomac-Edlson 20. Ohuea
the agreement entered into with tne
Damascus Co., the Recommendation co.
had the right to take over the former
hit hesitated to do so as the stocK-
holders of the Damascus Co. took a
civic pride in their ownership" ana lor
This reason the Recommendation co.
hesitated to exercise its option.
To Take Over Company.
"Nepotiations have just been con-
cIuded'" Mr.. Smith said, by which the
Damascus Co. will be taken Cver ana
a hearing will be held by the COM
mission on october 10. AS soon as we
receive permission to absorb the pa
nascus Co, we will start extending
our lines into all of these communl-
ties and feel certain that there VIII be
no further cause for complaint from
the residents of this section"
Mr.. Smith submitted three plans, the
first of which was for the entire terri
tory covered by the petition, which EN-.
braces extensions of 22.7 miles ana
would cost $4,000. This plan
would serve 139 customers, on which
residential and commercial allowance
of S14,500 would be made, leaving $lO,-
500 to be made up by the consumers
which would amount to 1854 each.
Plan No. 2 covered 17.2 miles, at a
cost of $4,000 and serving 100 Gus.
toners, on which a residential and
commercial allowance of $12,4 400 would
be made, leaving a balance OF S6,6Uu,
which would amount to a deposit OF
SIS by each consumer.
Plan No. 3 called for extensions OF
204 miles, at cost OF $22,2OO, Wnlcn
would serve 1876 customers, on which
of $4,000 would. be made and requr-
ing a deposit of $4,000 from the con-
suners, which amounts to $58.82 each.
None Of the plans included current
to Unity or EtchiSon, which Will De
served by the Consolidated Co. as soon
as the State Roads Commission finishes
paving the main highway.
Further Allowances.
A further allowance Of $50 for an
electric refrigerator, $25 for electric
ranges and $25 for electric washers,
vacuum cleaners and iron combinations
would be made by the company on resi-
Dental customers, while an allowance
of $50 per horsepower would be MADE
on commercial contracts.
Statements that the residents of these
communities had been charged as high
as 20 cents per kilowatt hour were de-
MED by Mr.. Smith, who stated the
average rate of his company was 6H2
cents per kilowatt hour for the 10000
consumers served, which were made up
entirely of small communities, the COM
pany serving no large cities.
r. F. Bonsall, manager OF the gen
eral service department Of the Console
dated, declared that his company was
not anxious to enter this territory and
preferred that the Potomac-EdtSon
Co. be given the franchise.
Senator j. Frank Harper, acting
chairman of the Public Service Com
mission, announced at the close Of the
hearing that, while the commission had
nothing to do with the agreement en-
tered into by the three power companies
IN REGARDS 10 serving ScCCIOIlS VI NoIII-
gomery and Prince Georges Counties,
the commission recognized it as fair
division and felt its provisions should
be carried out.
- Delegation Present.
In view of this, the territory in dis
pute belonged to the Recommendation
Co, and he said he felt certain the
company would not only extend its lines
into these communities, but also would
give consumers good service and fair
rates.
A large delegation, headed by J. D.
Watkins, chairman of the Montgomery
County Electric Light & improvement
Association, attended the hearing. In
addition to Attorney Cissel, the follow
ing representatives were present: Rev.
Henry H. Nichol of Cedar Grove, G. D.
Day of Clarkesburg, H. w. Beall Of
LewisdaIe, F.. s. Gladhill of Brown
ingsville, E. D. King Of Hendersons
Corner, w. E. Lewis of Clarkesburg,
e. D. Hawkins of Woodfield and ]. e.
Hawkins of EtchiSon.
DAD p0nIEc Tn nlNE