Show IS 5 N L. L T DEMAND DEM A ND CUT IN IN- UTILITY INUTILITY RATES 40 Petition to U. U S. S Power 4 2 Board Is Threatened By Leaders of Group a Charge Watered Revenue Revenue- Basis Underlies Utility Util Uti- ity Rates Q or P. P U. U C. C ASKED TO r AC-r Act Utah Sena Senate Bought for foi fo 12 Years Says Maw Demand for an immediate slash in Utah telephone rates charges that the theY Utah senate semite has been bought for 12 years and a threat to appeal to the federal government to enforce a a. utility util it ity rate cut if the state fails faw stirred 1000 Salt Lake taxpayers at South high school Wednesday night With the same fiery oratory which featured his fight against thc at the last legislative session Senator Herbert B. B Maw aw militant Salt Lak solon hurled a challenge which brought enthusiastic response e front from the Salt Lakers who attended the mass mas meeting called by the ers' ers Welfare Research league at the school Adopts Resolution The group unanimously adopted a resolution calling upon the state utilities utilities ties commission which has hu instituted an investigation of the rate structure of the Mountain States Telephone And Telegraph reduce Utah's Utah phone rates forthwith They demanded that the sion Lion cut present rates commensurate with lowered overhead end and the tru true Investment setup of the telephone company And unless this is done leaders of the aroused taxpayers threatened to petition the federal pow power r commission commission commission commis commis- sion to intervene in the Utah utility picture This warning rang among charges that watered or padd padded d revenue bases underlying utilities rates in Utah As Assails ls Interests The people must m organize and elect m men n educated in the philosophy that government is js for tor the people and not for the interests who now control the nations nation's money if it social rocial justice is to be achieved declared Senator Ma Maw For 12 2 years the Utah state senate has been bought he said because a majority of its members believed the path to prosperity was to concentrate wealth in the hands of big business Accusing utilities com panIcs panIcs' of vi violating vio lating bUng their compact with the people by charging rates which earn more mora than a fair return on their true investment investment in vestment the senator pleaded for public pub lic lie support to give the commission com corn mission money to pay pey for a searching investigation Raps Wall V Street Wall street represented here by bythe bythe bythe the Utah Taxpayers Taxpayers' association has fought to cripple the commission with lack of funds and as a result for instance in stance the state slate has never appraised Utah Power and Light company property property prop prep erty Senator Maw said That company for rate purposes purpose lists its investments in Utah as nearly yet it pays paY taxes on only If It rates are not based on the assessed valuation taxes should hould be paid on the valuation which bac backs the rates F The Utah Gas and Coke company and the thc telephone company also pay taxes on property valued at less than third one-third the value of the investments on which their rates are based Small homeowners on the other hand band have their property assessed assessed from rom 70 to per cent of it its ita true 9 v value u Detailing the transactions in which the Utah Power and Light company Is 15 said to have watered its stock to the disadvantage of Utah Investors In Senator Maw declared power power- rates rate would need be only half as u high as aa they now are if the power company had acted ethically Says Stock Watered The Thc preferred stock owned by Ut Utah 1 had been een so 0 watered its iu only value is its ability to earn interest in in- terest he said If It the Utah Power and Light company company com com- pany cares so much for forthe the widows and orphans who own its stuck stock as company officials stated In the recent municipal power campaign why didn't it build a reserve during boom Continued on Pate Five UT tilT IN PHONE PHO N E RATE BATE TE DEMANDED j I Charge Watered Revenue i harge arge Basis Underlies Utility Util 1 ity Rates j I Continued from Pate Pare One Oie j jt t Mr instead ad of sending such huge s JS to Wall street that the M w explained financial backing of ot utilities J lIle ge them them to exert tremendous on 01 legislators which onI only ure ure ta- ta united determination of the peo- peo combat e-an e can Proposal Wins Applause i Mark luk k Anderson manager of the I U hotel Provo charged that financing by the Utah Power use c ft cOmP company Y made it rv- rv I consideration as an honest util- util of Declaring state regulation has drew a round of enthusiastic nl d he be taue we se when he kie pleaded for a state state- organization to p petition J Jt 5 V t e Roosevelt to allow the federal I commission to intervene in the thenay r tr survey showed Provo resi- resi a higher power rates than thane ts b pay nay of similar size in other parts j e t e country of Balling mass meetings as a sign among a sick people Dr N. N woodward of the Brigham JL university d decried the lack of y Toong of the public press branded a radical and andfrid andI andr 11 1 will be the I speak against frid I r d' d because utilities SU be he said aid and an audience audi nce numerous doctors f faculty S-faculty faculty members and business him with bEats Out Oat Lack of Funds Voters are kicking at a straw man manthey y d attack the state utilities ba they GenS Gen Gen- c Deputy Attorney S John D. D Rice said pointing out of funds fund prevents the thc com com- tut lack ion from doing as much as it is E AI to do in regulating utilities r. r The I-The m people won an important vie vie- In the recent 10 per cent rates Telluride Power company ton t of rb Utah for the thc commission I promulgated the theor theory that the value 14 t ta t. t the e consumer must be considered Rice said la is fixing a rate Mr fe He Ue defended Salt Lake n new newspapers papers declaring they have been bce fair In deall deal deal- l bt Int with the utility situation F- F Peter E. E son Willard-son of Monroe of the State Slate Tax Reform lugue briefly outlined the alms aims of the ht organization i Commend State Board Boud BoudA A resolution was adopted comi com corn i the utilities commission for forIt lu It action in the Telluride Power case and in reducing freight rites Intel on Ol coal from Carbon county L LE E. E Elggren chairman of the Con ConS Mrs league and State tie t e Warwick C. C Lamoreaux s secreT secre- secre cre- cre lt ry T sp spoke ke briefly The next meet meet- U it will be January 4 or 5 5 |