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Show if CITIES ALLOW GAS RATEJNCREASES Action of Other Communities Communi-ties Closely Watched in Salt Lake. As the date approaches for the hearing hear-ing before the public utilities commission on the application of the Utah Gas & Coke company to Increase its rates, the action being taken In other municipalities municipali-ties throughout the country under similiar circumstances, is being watched with a great deal of interest in Salt Lake, The utilities commission has set May 14 for hearing the petition. Among the 167 gas companies serving various municipalities throughout the country, which have recently been granted increases in rates to help meet the advanced ad-vanced costs of doing business under war conditions, Is the Cadillac Gas Light Co., of Cadillac, Mich., where the Increase was decided by a direct vote of the citizens. According to information which reached the city yesterday, the increase in rate granted the Cadillac Gas Light Co. was 25 cents a 1000, bringing the cost of gas up from $1 to $1.25 a 1000. There was some quesrion as to the authority of the city council to grant the needed Increase In-crease under the company's franchise, and to overcome this difficulty a new franchise was granted the company by a direct vote of the people. As in the case of the Utah Gas & Coke Co., the facts were laid before the public and the difficulties under which the gas companv was operating were frankly stated. The result of the vote was a 10 to 1 majority in favor of the advance in gas rates. "Of the 167 gas "companies that have been granted rate increases within the past few months," said George H. Waring, general manager of the Utah Gas & Coke Co., yesterday, "One hundred and forty-six, forty-six, or S7 per cent, have received a new rate, higher than that asked by the Utah Gas & Coke Co. Our company appreciates appre-ciates the fact that high costs of everything every-thing are in many cases causing a hardship hard-ship on the public, and under these circumstances cir-cumstances our stockholders are entirely willing to bear their share of the burden. So we have asked only such an increase as will permit us to continue our service uninterrupted. Since filing our petition with the public utilities commission, the company has received assurances from a large number of Salt Lake business men that they fully recognize the necessity for the rate Increase we ask." |