Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-19
CHANGES ARE SEEN
FOR PROPOSED NEW
SCHEDULE FOR GAS
Utilities Group Expected to
Refuse Extra-Payment
Rules Requested.
MINIMUM BILL SYSTEM
MAY BE SUBSTITUTED
Federation of Citizens Associations
and Other Spokesman Agree to
75-Cent Plan at Hearing.

75-Cent Plan at Hearing.
The fate OF the new proposed gas
rates now resting with the Pubic
Utilities Commission, after a two-day
public hearing. is expected to be settieo
within the next week or two.
The next regular meeting day OF the
commission is Monday, but u is quiVe
improbable that action will be forth-
coming at that time. The transcript
of the last days testimony, which con-
tains important matter, is not expected
before tomorrow, which IS nai-
holiday at the District Building. Prob
ably not less than 10 days will elapse
before the commission completes Its
study of this and decides whether or
not to accept the new rates.
Chances Are Against Rates.
At the present moment the chances
appear to be that the commission Will
not accept the rates as presented, ano
that one or two important changes VIII
be written in, it was said today. Volum-
nous testimony was offered to show
that the reduced rates would result in
increased bills to As per cent of the
companys customers in the lower do
mestic use brackets. 1t is not believed
that the commission will approve this
increase in order to put the company
in a position TO sell gas for developing
the house heating end of the industry.
There is a wide spread in the rates
as offered between the domestic and
the house heating schedules. The
former starts at IS cents per 1000 cubic
feet. The latter drops as low as SO
cents. According to testimony intro
duced by the commissions accountant,
Byars Mex. Bachman. yesterday, the
50-cent rate borders very closely on the
cost of manufacturing the gas. If this
should prove to be the case the sched-
ule would probably be open to an at
tack in the courts on the ground that
II offers rebates to the houses heating
customers.
New Rules Expected TO Fail.
Not only will there be changes in the
rate schedule as offered, but the likeli-
hood is that none of the new rules
sought by the company. each costing
certain customers more money, will pass
muster One Of the rules provides that
any customer who ceases to use the
service within one year must pay a fee
of $3.50 for this privilege. Another in
PRODUCES two new charges, neither to be
less than 81. for disconnecting GUS
TONER'S service when he does not pay
his bill and for recommending it If he
wants it reconnected.
The company's rate expert testified
that these sums had not been taken
into account in calculating the probable
loss to the company in revenue under
the new rates. Since there is, therefore,
no testimony to support them, 1t is be-
lieved that they will be ignored by the
commission.
The change in the discount period
from Is to 10 days, provided in another
rule, Is almost certain to be left out.
President George A. G. Wood of the
company stated he would have no OBJ
lection to keeping the l5-day period
One of the changes confidently ex-
pected Is the substitution Of new
minimum bill provision instead Of the
present clause, which calls for some
thing between a minimum bill and a
service charge. This would be accept
able to spokesman for the Federation
of Citizens Associations and other cit
liens association representatives at the
hearing None Of them entered any OBJ
lection to the 75-cent monthly mini
mum bill, but they stated that for this
sum they should be given rs cents
worth Of gas, instead Of being limited
to 500 feet. as under the proposed
schedule Seventy five cents worth OF
gas would be S82 feet.
Alternatives Put in Record.
Changes in the schedule we're quite
definitely forecast by the action OF the
commission in the hearing yesterday
Of putting on It's chief engineer, Burt
H Peck, as a witness. He introduced
a number Of schedules, with variations
from the one offered by the company,
any one of which, being in the record,
could be adopted by the commission as
an alternative to the gas company
schedule.
e. s. Hobbs. representing the Con-
duit Road Citizens Association, was not
so fortunate. He entered plea on
behalf of his association for. a straight
90-cent rate, with a minimum charge
Of rs cents. Under this rate, he said,
the savings to consumers would start
at 300 feet, instead OF at Zoo 1eet.
as at present, and would run from
cents at 800 feet to "a cents at S.4OO
feet (the average domestic consump-
fion) as compared with lS cents under
the company's proposal. He was tolo
bv Commissioner Harleigh H. Hartman
that his proposition could not be con-
sidered unless. he was prepared 10. m
troduce testimony to show that the
return to the company under his pro-
posed rate would be reasonable
william NICK Clayton, representne
the Federauon OF ClblAens AsSoSAotAOliS
protested strongly, saying that never
during the II years of his appearance
before the commission had any spokes'
man for a citizens group been put ur
against such a proposition. But Mr.
Hartman was adamant, saying that Il
Mr.. Hobbs had wanted his rate con.
sidered he should have submitted i
to the commission before the hearing
began, so that the commissions &C
countants could have studied its effec'
upon the rate of return.
The Washington Chamber OF Com
merce and the Chevy Chase Citizens
Association submitted resolutions ap-
proving the new rates. The chambel
added that 1t hoped any valuation pro
ceedings that might be necessary woulc
be allowed TO wait until after the new
rates were in effect
- n - - ~