Salt Lake Telegram | 1917-02-18 | Page 35 | Large Gas Graft is Charged in Apartment

LARGE ARGE GAS GRAFT IS CHARGED IN APARTMENT Overcharge 75 Cents a 1000 Cubic Feet Is Al Al- n Br 1111 Th be Ft Newt Nm F SAN FRANCISCO CISCO Feb 17 An 17 An oil famine In to less than two years and th the fact that most ap apartment hou house e owners In San Francisco are public utilities In themselves and make mako n a handsome profit out of ot their thell tenants were tho the outstanding features In a n. hearing be before before before be- be fore the state railroad commission on the city's complaint that tho the Pacific Gas and Electric company I Is charging more than 75 cents per 1000 cubic foot feet for tor gas as ordered by the board of su- su su u- u The Tho company any has obtained a federal court Injunction restraining re enforcement of tho 76 75 cent rate and Is charging 85 cents OIL COSTS BLAM BLAMED ED J J. J T T. Ryan civil cl cn engineer for tor the Pacific Gas and Electric company compan testified testified tes tes- one of or the reasons necessitating a a. higher rate Is the ever er Increasing price of or oil oU This condition will m even en be worse after acter the war when hen the European market market mar mar- ket now closed to a large lare extent will be open a again ln he said Our stora storage e ent at nt present present- nt i is to about four months' months consumption In two tiro years cars there will be an oil famine and before that there will Ill be a scramble for tor oil Present consumption Is gallons allons a month Tho The monthly production production pro pro- Is about gallons allons and the supply on hand Is gal gal- lons APARTMENT ENT CHARGES George C C. C Holbert on manager of the company for tor this district testified d that most apartment house owners have master mastel meters In their hou houses Cs C's and in turn have Individual IndI meters In In- stalled n. n the apartments We charge e them a l sliding scale he lie said ranging from 85 35 cents cent per 1000 for the first feet Ceet down to 60 GO cents Hardly Handy any tenant uses feet teet and each one is charged ed the 8 85 l cent I-at I rate The owner therefore makes the difference between en the average we charge e him and 8 85 86 cents which In large apartment houses means a net profit of ot about 12 cents a thousand to the owner Other witnesses es were Randall Ellis city expert who tc testified as to operating operating oper oper- cO cost l based base on maintenance IT P P. I Henderson on his assistant and W W. G G. engineer Robert Scans as assistant assistant as- as city attorney examined for tho the city and Charles P. P Cutten for the compan company j. j I