The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1953-08-21
Mr.. and Mrs. Natural Gas Consumer
You Have Been Given
"The Business"

mission wishes of Montana Company and
granted the full
quested by the monopoly This Montana version of the bg
gveaway make mistake about it, represents of the
most ordd berayas of the public interest in recent Montana
history And amount of jusifyng, explaining apologize
ing the of the commission will alter that fact oa
The commission composed of Chairman Henry and
Commissioners Middleton and Leonard Young in hand
ing down its approval of the rate increase request went to
great length attempting "explan-sugar coat
why they thus They inferred would be herey
to question their decision stating t anticipated much TODD
will be attempted by those whose political ambitions
transcend their own good conscence Boiled down. their
statement in defense of their ndefensbe action much
gobbede-gook and will fool with 10 above that Of
a six-year-od.
The aowedf taken the for final
the aggregate will drain approximately
20O000 in purchasing out of the pockets of $4,000
residential commercial each year Broken down
individual basis residential will pay
of 288 for heat with most of the
increase coming in the winter months Commercial will
find their bills liked about $93 year. which, they in
will pass residential whenever possible
Public school such Helena and supported by the
dollars of residential and commercial will find
their annual gas bills up 38 per cent
Was the commission justified in granting such exorban
placed them? speak
themsevesfacs which, in instances right out of
the reports Power instances
by MPCo President j. E. Corette and still other
instances from miscellaneous
The commission at request Montana Power counsel
any evidence relating huge
of supplied the Anaconda Copper Mining Company the
very low nrice of cents ner thousand cc feet Without
considering such evidence how could the commission possibly
determine whether the justified?
How could they determine whether the
already substituting through their gas
purchases from the utility? Certainly the of
the Montana PowerACM contract in attempting deter
fair for other residential commercial
little Imagine you will building
refusing consider the foundation making
estimate building house The latter would make
much the commissions refusal to consider the ACM
contract.
Brought public hearing held by commits
sion May by spokesman for American Smelling Refining
Understanding Montana Powers annual reports
overall operaiona of the division had gone only
1873 cent since the first began the profitable dis
tribution 1922 AS&R spokesman also brought
that the decade 1913 the had had
increase retail price thousand
cubic feet Because increased residential and
smaller commercial outlets the retail price received
by Montana Power had from rs cents 80
mcf-or-in oherwords amounted to 20 per
in off Sales the utility Thus greater
smaller the company the
gained back 20 of the 1873
since 1882 Obviously then at most the company ent
ed increase of not than 83 per
80 to At generously granted by Henry
dleton and Young
g. The companys figures showed that the division
NETED 81 cents dollar of 1850
despite inatona brought by the War;
MELTED rs cents dollar of in 1852
A. Next to the question whether Montana Power
needed the 80 to AT cent increase order continue prof
liable operation Because the commission spared the monop
the need and possibly embarrassment including
utity financial picture the sale of than
feet of to the ACM there determining
whether the division has been paying
to the company.
However pointed out in previous issues Power
Company of the profit-earning utilities nation
In 1852 according to MPCos annual
ed and had available for dividends just under