Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-01
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
ARE AIDING ARMS
Regulatory Commissions
Taking Hand In Rates
and Extensions.
By GEORGE Z. DoYING.

The electric utilities Of the Nation are
coming to the assistance Of agriculture
willingly In many instances and
through compulsion In others.
The fact that electricity is rapidly
being extended to farms Is not new,
having been progressing with increasing
rapidity during the last few years. The
rates being charged to farmers. how
ever, and the cost Of extending service
are now receiving much more attention
at the hands Of the regulatory commits
sions.
The Railroad Commission of Cali
fornia, which State has more electrified
farms than any other in the Union, has
adopted a new method Of assisting the
distressed agriculturistS by ordering two
large electric utilities in the San Joaquin
Valley to reduce their rates for farm
power service by 20 per cent during the
months of May. June. July and August.
Voluntary Reduction.
These companies are the San Joaquin
Light q Power Corporation and the
Midland Counties Public Service Cor
poration. They sought rehearing from
the commission, but this was denied and
the commission announced that the re-
duced rates would become effective
today.
Following the issuance of this order,
the Southern California Edison Co.,
Ltd. announced voluntary reduction
OF 20 per cent to farmers in the San
joachim Valley, effective, during the
same four months of this year.
The new public utilities commissioner
of Oregon, Charles NJ. Thomas, has
issued an order reducing the rates of
the Portland Electric Power Co. to
farms to the level Of rates enjoyed by
urban residents.
The Appalachian Electric Power Co.
has asked the Virginia Corporation
Commission for authority to run service
lines through territory served by the
Virginia Electric & Power Co. and the
Virginia Public Service Co. If the
charter amendment sought by the APP
palachian Is granted, that company's
system of electric lines would be in
creased from 1900 miles to $500 miles,
taking in 81 of the 100 counties of Vir-
ginia and undoubtedly making electric
service available to many new farms
possibly at reduced rates, since the in
vasion is looked upon as the forerunner
of rate war.
Potential Power User.
Experience shows that with every
drop in rates the farmers use Of cleo
trio current increases, says report
| just made by an investigating commit
| tee of the Pennsylvania House of Rep
resentatives. Every dirt farmer is q
! potential power user, in contrast with
| urban consumers. who use electricity
only for light and minor household
operations
The committee urged that the State
commission be given full power to con-
| troll the cost of lines to farmers and
the service rates. Many State commits
sions have adopted rules to govern the
method of charging farmers for extern
sions of electric lines, the general
tendency being to shift more and more
| of the burden to the utilities and to
make it as easy as possible for the
/ farmers to secure service.
The number of electrified farms In
| the United States at the end of 1880
was estimated at 5000. The number
! has been doubling about every three
arsI one-half years. In addition to this
greaE increase in the number Of farms
using electricity, thousands Of farmers
| also now haze access to natural gas as
| result of the construction OF hun
dreds of miles Of pipe lines.
(Copyright, 1919