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Show LETTERS TO THE EDITOR By Lorenzo E. Elggren former State Senator and President Presi-dent Consumers Welfare League. 1. POWER COMPANY customers cus-tomers are not only shocked, but greatly aroused over the increased in-creased electric rate proposed by the Utah Power & Light Company. Com-pany. This increased rate coming com-ing on the heels of the Company's finagling and plotting, along with other private colleagues, to build and control the distribution power lines from Glen Canyon, shows nothing so much as the fact, that this raise in rates is the first move to now force their electric customers to pay for the construction of these distribution lines. The propaganda, so skillfully skill-fully used against federal construction, con-struction, was that it would cost taxpayers huge needless sums of ! money for the federal government govern-ment to build these lines, and inferring all the time that there however, do we recall a reduction reduc-tion in electric rates ever being offered to its rate payers. And yet, it is well known that the current cost of electrical production produc-tion today has been greatly reduced, re-duced, but no mention is ever made of this fact by the power company, or a rate reduction offered electric users. It makes the public ask when and where this rash of increased rates and price fixing is going to end? Wittingly or unwittingly it all plays right into the hands of the communist schemes to eventually eventu-ally wreck our economy. 4. If the power company was not the coddled, protected monopoly mon-opoly that it is, but was out in the open field like other industries indus-tries fighting for its existence, then instead of chronically asking ask-ing for increased rates, we would no doubt see them offering and advertising special sales on electricity elec-tricity and reduced rates like occurs in all other competitive business. 5. THE PUBLIC is literally "fed up" and now feels that what the Utah Power and Light Company Com-pany needs most of all today, in- would be no increased taxes or rates if the private power companies com-panies were given the right to construct these lines. Why wasn't the power company frank and fair enough to come out before the compromise was made and openly state they would have to increase power rates to consumers consum-ers to build these transmission lines? 2. OPERATING AS an exclusive exclu-sive monopoly, the Utah Power & Light Company is protected and has no competition whatsoever, whatso-ever, and yet they go right on spending large amounts of rate payers money for perfectly useless use-less and needless expensive advertising. ad-vertising. If the power company wants to show greater net returns re-turns than the allowable 6 per cent, the first thing they should do is to cut out this fictitious, phoney advertising; then cut down excessive salaries for certain cer-tain officials, stop needless large contributions to well-known institutions; in-stitutions; quit spending large amounts fighting federal control, co-operatives, municipal and rural electric plants; stop subscribing sub-scribing for excessive memberships member-ships in Chambers of Commerce and other Civic Clubs. Various other lavish spendings of rate payers money also needs attention. atten-tion. 3. WHEN THE Power Company- secured its former raise in rates, we well remember its official offi-cial statement that it would be just as willing to announce a reduction in rates when it was justified, as to be constantly asking for increases. Never once, stead of a raise in rates, is a good stiff dose of competition, and this will surely come, even here in Zion, if they don't wake up and realize their true relationship with the people whom they are licensed to serve. Since the power company was cleaned up through Court action some years ago, they have never been more prosperous and done a more profitable pro-fitable business than they are doing today, and this and the former items mentioned must be given serious consideration by the Public Service Commission of Utah before even considering an advance in power rates to the public. A high pitched wail from a home radio or television set may become the family warning of dangerous radioactive fallout. The device, called a Banshee, could cost' only between $10 and $20 and could be installed in any radio. The Banshee consists of a cadmium sulfide crystal no larger larg-er than the head of a pin, and a circuit. When the radiation reaches a dangerous level, hte crystal would generate a siren like wail relayed through the speaker. The wail would become louder with increased radiation and would diminish as the radiation radia-tion lessened. Congress allowed 20 million board feet of timber to be cut annually from the Menominee Indian Reservation in Wisconsin in 1890, the first law regulating the cutting of timber on Federal lands. |