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Show CEMENT FIRMS PRESENT CASES i i , ! jOgclen and Union Portland j t Cement Companies May . L j Oppose Rate Probe ! Two Ogdcn cement companies, tho ' 1 Ogden and the Union Portland com- , panlos, showed disposition to fight the ! right of tho public utilities commission to Investigate tho contracts or to lu- till LliUlL T1UU1U1, ni 1 B hfearlng on special power contracts be- K fore the utilities commlsJion in Salt B Lake yesterday, according to Infor- m matlon which reached Ogdcn this m morning. m Claim Protection. K ; They contended that a contract is ft beyond tho supervision of the cominh- ft - slon, and is protected by the United K States constitution In the provision K that no state ahull pass any ex-poat m fat-to law or law lmpnlrlug the obll- Wl gallon of a contract. m, Tho Union Portland Cement com- M '. pauy, which has its plant at Dovll s E Slide, related that It hud entered Into a M . ten-year contract with the Utah Power K . eompanj, predecessor of tho Utah Po- ft - I wcr & Light company, November 23, H 1 1012. on a minimum basis of $2000 a R I month. It has paid an average of $50.- K : 000 a year for powor, it was contended, E 1 and on the strenBth of its contract dls- 1? . i mantled a power plant which it would H cost J225.000 to replaco at present m prices. The answer filed says that ncl- K vner part to the contract annual, po- m wer bill seeks to havu It set aside. I The Oeuen Portland Cement com- I pa.'.y, Avith a plant at Bakers, near f cirtguam City, made similar assertion j and claims, sasing that It had dlsman.- tied a plant mat would cost 100,000 f to replace, and had paid an annual power bill of HS.500 since the date eft ihe contract, March IS, 13 H. liy placing L. p. Hockett, accoun- : Innl fm- I V. ..,.1111. 1 .. , K. II. Ash worth, rate export for the ; Utah Power (z Light company, on tho m stand, the uompanier showed that un- jf . der the proposed Increase of schedule. f subnllttod by the Utah Power & Light f company to thy commission In another j I case,' tho Union Portland Cement com- J ' pany would have to pay 113 per cont ! increase over the presont contract rate, ' on 191& business, and tho Ogdon com- pany 75 per cent over the present rates paid. Increase Disastrous. v For the Union company, R. H. Dor- j land, superintendent of tho Devil's J Slide plant, testified that the company j had dismantled ihe steam plant, dcom- j - j ing that the nite offered by the con- If t.uct justliied sucli action. James Pin- , " gree. 3ceretary and treasurer of the J, company, sa)d that while Increase to h tho present schedule rates could be J borne in' times when thcro Is a keen r f ' market for cement, in times of over- f production such an Increase in costs f would bo dlspJtrous. m 11. C. Day, viae president and plant fl manager ot the Ugden plant, declared that the waato heat at the cement , I llnnt could evnporate enough steam I to producu CO to 70 per cent of the I, power used there, u. C Hart also tea- 1 llflea along similar lines, but In each Bj ! case the figures given did not appear ttl , to Justity this, nnd they will submit m definite figures later. W |