New Britain herald., 1930-03-05
LEVITT CALLS FOR
 NEW LIGHT RATES
(Continued From First page)

| field. It can be summed up in sen- tencc which contrasts MT. Roraback's political philosophy with the politi- cal philosophy of Abraham Lincoln. President Lincoln believed in a gov ernment of the people, by the people and for the people, Mir. Roraback believes in government of the pub lie utilities, by MT. Roraback and for the United Gas Improvement Com pany of Philadelphia. .s.
 At the present time I wish to anaiyze one further remark made by l Mir. Roraback; test it with some ally applied in relation to electric light and power. rates here in New | Britain.
 "Mr. Roraback said: We have placed political opponents in office when it has been dem onstrated that tions and their services are indis- pensable to the state
 MT. Roraback mentions neither names nor positions. He does not tell us who the democratic indispensables to the state are. The statement is of no value in testing out whether his ene-man government has been of But two things arc common knowl- edge. Of those we can take notice.
 Assembly Is Two Committees
 "At the last general assembly there were in the senate s2 republicans and Is democrats. Everybody knows that during the Roraback regime our general assembly consists for prac- tical purposes, of just two commit tees. These arc the Judiciary commit tee and the committee on appropria- tions. The first decides what laws shall be passed. The second decides how, and for what the states money shall De spent. A democrat was not appointed on either of these com l mittees. Democrats were not indis- pensable there. On the contrary the representatives of the people elected by the democrats were quite dispens. able. And they were dispensed with They had evidently not 'demonstrat- ed that they were the best men for the positions And the question arises. How does one demonstrate that he is the best man for a posi- ton and thus is a democratic indis- pensable? The answer comes when we look at a second fact.
 This second fact is the retention in office of Richard T. Higgins chairman of the public utilities com mission: He is a democrat. Obvious. ly he has been kept in office because he has demonstrated that he is the best nian for the position and his services are indispensable to the state. How did he do it? Here arc some facts.
 Property Seizure Rights
 The constitution of Connecticu, prohibits tho taking of private pro. perty for private purposes. Private property can be taken only for pub. lic purposes. Only the state can take private property for public purposes It does so by exercising what law. yers call the right of eminent do
 main. The state may give the righ, of eminent domain to public utilit, company. This it may do because the pubic utility company is carrying or public function. It is doing what the state can and should do. It is, ir law. operating for the public good The public utility is a method b, which the state is fulfilling its pur, pose of promoting the general vel. fare of the people of the state. Pri vate persons arc permitted to do fo, private gain what the state should do for the general welfare. The the
 ory is that in this way you get the best benefits of private initiative al the lowest cost to tho people of the l state.
 But human beings are inclined tc be selfish They forget the common needs. They work for themselves. I IS human that the public utilities should try to charge all that they can and get the most that they car for their products. Because of thi. the general assembly created a pub
 lie utilities commission. The duty O the public utilities commission is tt . see to it that the public utilities O the state charge only a reasonable amount for the products which the, sell. The utilities arc entitled to { <. reasonable return on their invest : mcnts. The public utilities commits sion must sec to it that only req sonable return is made. A reason able return is somewhere betwec, 5 six and eight per cent on the amour invested in the business. The rate for light and power which the utilit, may charge the consumer must b, l rates which produce only a reason = able return on the amount invested t in the business. The investment mus : be an actual honest investment. In
 Hated values arc improper and file , gal. Rates which arc based upon in i Hated and dishonest valuations ar, , illegal rates and cannot be charged It IS the duty of the commission t examine most carefully the account f of the utilities and to prevent in
 Hated values. ,ra.
 Tt is tho further duty Of the com
 mission to allow no rates to b, charged on illegal, false accounts
 Has Mr. Higgins done his duty? H,
 has not. He has allowed, and Is al
 lowing at the present time, rates t
 be charged which are based upol fictitious valuations and false ac :, counts. The proof of this will b,
 found in the files of our public util
 ities commission. Here are the facts , boiled down and simplified.
 . Capital Juggling Charged
 .. "In 1910 the Connecticut Rive : Power company. and the Northern l. Connecticut Light and Power com pany were. competitors in the sam,
 territory. In the year 1913 the Con nccticut River Power company go permission from our state legislatur ! to generate and sell electric powe l and to build dam at Windso oclSs Theu pever intended A h,Iilt