Evening star., 1935-12-02
GAS FIRMS FILE
SCALE FOR TOTAL
CUT OF $851,598
Clayton DenounCes Failure
to Hear Consumers in
Fixing Schedule.
new RATE WOULD TRIM
PRESENT BILLS SOC
90 Per Cent of Reduction Would
Go to Domestic Clients, 1874 Per
Cent to Heating Users.

A new schedule of rates which will
reduce the present bill Of the average
domestic consumer Of gas about 30
cents a month was filed with the Pub
lie Utilities Commission today by the
Washington and Georgetown Gas
Light Cos.
The new schedule was submitted at
the outset Of a series of public hear
ings on the proposal Of the gas COM
panies to adopt sliding scale method
for adjusting rates in the future. The
sliding scale plan Is predicated on a
return Of 61a per cent on an agreed
rate base of $2l ,000, ,000-if the return
exceeds 61l per cent, rates would be
reduced. and raised If the return falls
below that percentage.
Although the domestic consumer is
allocated the largest share of the
savings under the new schedule, the
reductions would be applied to all
other classes Of service.
$S51,59s Total Savings.
The gas companies estimate that
the total savings to all classes Of
service would amount to 1851, ,598
a year, but that figure includes about
s500,000 gas consumers have saved
for the last several years under a
temporary 81 per cent discount,
which would become permanent under
the sliding scale arrangement. Ac-
tually, the total savings on present
bills would amount to about $350,000
a year.
The next favored class of consumers
in the new schedule are those who
use gas for house or building heating.
The companies proposed the elimina-
tion Of the so-called demand charge,
which, with the present 81 per cent
discount. Is figured to reduce their
bills about s81 900 year.
At the hearing William NICK. Clay
ton, chairman of the Public Utilities
Committee of the Federation of
Citizens Associations, voiced vigorous
criticism because he said gas con-
sumers were not represented at the
various conferences between gas
company officials, the general counsel
for the commission and Peoples
Counsel william A. Roberts when the
sliding scale plan was considered and
approved by them.
He protested against the $2l, ,000,-
900 rate base proposed by the company
and approved by Roberts and Corpo-
ration Counsel e. Barrett Prettyman,
the commissions general counsel, in
view OF the protracted gas valuation
proceedings. which he said would
cost consumers thousands of dollars.
He alsU objected to commission con-
sideration of the so-called agree
ment" between the companies, Roberts
and Prettyman because the federation
had not been party to it.
81 Per Cent Domestic Users.
Statistical charts submitted to the
commission by the companies, analyz-
ing the new rate schedule, were all
based on the present gas schedule
without the 81a per cent discount.
These showed that the proposed
reduced rates would be applied to 81
per cent of domestic consumers, 12.4
per cent to building and house heat
ing consumers, So per cent to COM
mercial and industrial consumers,
1874 per cent to optional" commercial
and industrial consumers, 00.1 per
cent to the seasonal of peak schedule,
00.4 per cent to the wholesale apart
ment house subscribers and is per
cent to forfeited accounts.
The charts Of the companies show
that the present domestic rates, not
including the discount, are 81 a thou
sand cubit feet for the first 1000 cubic
feet, and that under the proposed new
schedule the rate would be rs cer'e
for the first 800 cubic feet and
cents for the next 5000 cubic fee.,
dropping to 10 cents for the next 5000
cubic feet, with rate Of 66 cents q
cubic foot for all gas consumed in
excess Of that amount. Under the
existing schedule, not including the
discount, the rate for gas consumed
In excess of 1000 cubic feet, and up
to 1000 cubic feet, Is 80 cents. All gas
consumed in excess of that amount Is
IS cents for 1000 cubic feet.
The average domestic gas consumer
uses about 3,474 cubic feet a month.
With the discount, he Is paying 91.5
cents for the first 1000 cubic feet, 80
cents for the next 1000 cubic feet and
n cents when the consumption ex-
ceeds 5000 cubic feet. Under the new
schedule the average consumer would
pay 81 cents for the first 1000 cubic
feet, 80 cents for the next 1000, 10
cents between 5000 and 10000 cubic
feet and 66 cents In excess of that
amount.
11S,253 Domestic Meters.
The largest individual group Of con-
sumers are those on the domestic
schedule. The companies reported
that for the year ended June 80, last,
there were 1928 meters on this serv-
ice, which would have produced q
revenue Of $4,436,823 before the 81a
per cent discount was applied. Under
the proposed schedule, the revenue
from this class of consumers was esti-
mated at $3,908,50o.
In the building and house heating
class there were 5,361 meters on June
80 last. which produced $757,s82 be-
fore application Of the 81 per cent
discount. The new schedule, while it
does not provide for reduction in
the existing rate Of so cents 1000
cubic feet, will reduce the revenue
from this class Of consumer to $752,-
400 by elimination Of the demand
rharCo