The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-01-26
A Suggestion

Recently the Railroad Public Service Commission
probably very reluctantly ordered the Montana Power Com
pany valuations by
January 1887 Just how the state commission arrived at
this figure not known nasmuch the Federal Power Com
mission after exhaustive investigation of the financial manp
uatons when the formed claimed that about
SAT 100000 of water should be wrng out of its book
public service commission in many other
appeared be afflicted with asgmac
Elections affecting brain and judgment when the interests of
people the special interests have become involved
apparently commission still suffers from it, the
terests of the company being the most visible.
At rate the citizen who followed the dis
financial Juggling made at the hearing held in Butte
last by the Federal Power Commission must be of the
opinion astronomical wrteups of valuations by
which the pirates enriched themselves took place
at the time of the organization OF the company 80
ago. and not on January 1, 1887.
However, assuming-but not admting-for the sake of
friendly argument that there mysterious but legitimate
for the findings of the Public Service Commission
fixing this particular date eight then must
to this smpleminded average citizen who is
customer of the that he has been paying
lot of the for services which not
entitled.
This write-up which Public Service Commission admits
has existed has been part of the company rate base all
of these years. approximately 20 cent of the
valuation which the rates for services have been based and
collected just for eight but according the accounts
of the company brought out in the hearing Butte
since the company formed about 30 Hence
this supplemented suffering John Citizen might feel that
he has been ovecharged his monthly bill by about 20
cent all of the time he has been customer of the Montana
Power Company However the erude members of the Pub
lie Service Commission by its has fixed the time
that he has been overcharged at only eight years
This writer claims to be just citizen in his
physical requirements customer of the Montana Power
Company For somewhat more-than eight have
been paying the company should between four five
dollars month"; for their services in home, and
the basis of the public service commissions
feel that have overpad these eight about
which should be returned to me by the company.
The operates under state franchise license
which should guarantee protection of the public against
charges by this public utility but apparently
has been permitted to exact these overchages for eight
if not 80 years How the state government going Justify
itself? take the stand that th public
Where have these staggering in overcharges
Have they stayed in Montana finance develop
Of they have They
their into the oversuffed pockets of financial rackeeer
controlling American Power and Light and superhodng
panes like the Electric Bond and Share controlling all
practically all of the stock of the Montana Power
Company other operating companies punderbund with
out peer
Neither does any other ordinary
pundeng monopoly expect have ovechages
but would all like to know what the officials
have been elected by conduct public affairs
should be done about it. We want to know there
legal bring the plunderer to book levy
penalty them
checked the reports of the Power
Company for the eight but do know that 20
Of the collected that period of time into
what cooqualy described folding money! money that
could be used in meeting the problems of returning SOL
ders and workers. which has disappeared into the
and Unsuitable of the punderbund in the East
may that have not ray of hope that anything
will square this account Our public
mission this has certainly not done anything
the minds of the people that their
than the political influence of the monopoly
Our has been apparently following the lead the