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Show TELEPHONE CO.! rSEEKS INCREASE IN RATES SALT LAKE, May 5. Contondlnir that present rates aro Inadequate' and do1 not yield a fair return, on Uo Investment, tho Mountain Sates Telephone Tele-phone and Telegraph company yesterday yes-terday petitioned the pubUc utilities commission for permission to ml so ; Us toll, rural and exchange eervlc rates to nuch an extent that it would add $190,000 to the company a annual revenues. I In support of ts petition for the increase tho company prescnU figures fig-ures for ho business ot January and I February of 1021. Tho figures fori January Indicate that after allowing E.73 for dereclatlon tho company had a net return of only 3.4G per cent or ' tho valuation as flxod by tho utili ties commission. In February the figure's show tho net return to be ' only 3.42 per cent and on this baslB It coftends It sustained a deficit from what the revenues should have been amounting to $33,00G in January, and -$33,297 In Fcbruaryr Tile annual an-nual deficit based on these two jnonths as compared with what tho revenue should be- allowing G.7 per cent for depreciation and 8 per cent profit, would amount to $398,006 or nearly twice the Increase asked. Tho highest rato of Increase proposed pro-posed In Salt Lake would come on tho use of."tho four party line,-, limited lim-ited se&ice, at m. rate of $2 per .month. Under the new schedule tho tfj service on a four party line would bo unlimited and would cost $ 3 per month. Thus all limited or measured ervlco would bo cut out. j The rates for business telephones would remain unchanged. The one party unlimited service It Is proposed to Increase from $4G to $48 per annum: tho two party un-( lluiltl service from $39 to $42 per( year .and tho tour party unlimited: from n' limited service at $24 per' Y year to an unlimited service of $3C per year. With these rates In effect the company com-pany estimates It would obaln an additional revenuo from Salt Lake residents amounting to $57,000 and from residents of Ogden. amounting Ao" $24,000. Tho company estimates that $74,000 woUld bo thQ Increased rcvonuo Tor tho Increased, toll rates .in this stato. Tho Increase In rural '"' ' rates, tho company eliminates, would yield an additional revenuo of $32,-Q00. $32,-Q00. IJ mv rnmn.nnv a'ska that thO nOW ! schedule go Into effect on June 1, ex-j ' .opting tho to! Increases which ' ' should bocomo cffcctlvo on June 21. Hearing on tho petition of tho I company will bo held beforo tho com mission on Juno 9. and at tho samo (line tho utilities board will hearj tho application of tho company for rehearing of tho caso in which tho utilities commission ordered tho com ;: pany to Increaso Us limited sorvlcn I GO per cent at tho same" cost to the patron. Tho granting of tho nppllct- I Ion for Increaso will be In effect abolish tho limited Bervlce. 4 . I '$ Tho vii,uaUon of th0 comPany'9 " property useful In Utah In giving ) iblephono service has been set nf ' $8,G62,1G7.11. Allowing tho G.72 per cent for depreciation tho com- i pany claims that during 1920 It lacked $336,203.37 of tho revenue - vhlch should have yielded 8 per coat j of the Investment. Tho allowance of I G.72 per cent for depreciation If nl- 1 lwed by tho public utilities board as 4K fair nnd of tho 8 per cont profit, IB would make a total of nearly 14 .per IB cent which Utahpatrons Vould hate 4m to pay on the gross Investment of tuo company. ""' I It Is proposed to withdraw tno present uchcdulo on file for enlarged ( service rale at Pleasant Grovo because be-cause there aro no lubscribers at the higher rate. Changes are proposed In Ogden j for a ono party business telephone ( from $81 to 9G per annum, two pa.-ty pa.-ty business phone from $72 to $84 per annum; ono party resident-, phone from $3C to $39 per annum; two party residence phono from $30 to $33 per annum, and four party residence phdno from $24 per an-mini an-mini to $27 per annum. The present residence luditidual hue miosutid ,mlnlmum chargo of $21 per annum would be abolished. |