OCR Text |
Show Mayor Adams Writes Reply to Letter About Proposed Gas Rate Increase you vv-sh to carry on an argument argu-ment then I shall demand how many poor widows and oi-phans are depend' nt on this dividend and just what percentages come in this category of your stockholders stock-holders listings. I'm certain it would be less than 5 per cent. Now for the consideration of the Tublic Service Commission, in granting you a raise in rates in order to give the stockholders a guaranteed 6 per cent plus. Allow Al-low a subscriber to show his side of the picture. For example, a young energetic ener-getic farmer rearing a family on a farm that suffered extensive damage when your pipe line, diag-noled diag-noled this farm, right in the growing season without recompense, recom-pense, is now one of your customers. cus-tomers. He sold his 210 lb. prize shoats right while your gas hearings hear-ings were going on for an average of $29.40. This amount was 60 cents less than 'the g'rain bill per head since the grain he hauled in his own truck came to just $30 per pig. Widows and orphans outnumbering out-numbering your stockholding widows wid-ows and orphans 10 to 1 I would be safe to say, as well as hun- Following is a letter which Burton H. Adams, Mayor is sending send-ing to Mr. A. I. Nightingale, president, pres-ident, Mountain States Gas Co. in replay to a letter printed in the P.eview last week: The letter let-ter concerns the proposed gas rate increase. Mr. A. I. Nightingale President, Mtn States Gas Co. Dear Sir: In answer to your article in the Pleasant Grove Review, first permit per-mit me to inform you that I was present at your first day hearings in Salt Lake and regardless regard-less of a most brilliant job, your attorney did in defense of your requests, one or two slips, were made, unintentional, I am sure, that rather amused several including in-cluding myself, who were obssrv-ing obssrv-ing the proceedings. However I first must infomi you my experiences with your company at the outset of your entry into the valley, though expensive ex-pensive and deceptive to me, my relationships with Mr. King and your entire administrative force at Provo have been very satisfactory. dreds of others in the aged brackets, brac-kets, are or should be worthy of some consideration, to my way of thinking. Another fact your company should and likely does appreciate is that you haven't competition which should in a sense put in a position to give better service for less money, but does it? These are just a few observations that the Public Service Commission should consider along with your requests. The public likes gas, we like the people who make it possible that we can enjoy its convenience. On the other hand, you can thank John L. Lewis for upping the price of coal and we can be thankful to .the Lord here in Utah for the vast coal reserves that in the final analysis might some day come to our rescue. Just one final question, Mr. Nightingale. Since someone did mention you would pay more taxes as additional addi-tional customers and extensions came into the picture, who should be compelled to pay for these growing pains? Millions have been spent by your customers as you are well aware for facilities, stoves, furnaces, fur-naces, heaters of every description, descrip-tion, etc. Now, why can't the makers of these products, their sales agencies and installers assume as-sume some responsibility instead of compelling your old customers to dig down deeper every time you boys aspire to get a wee bit bigger. (Signed): B. H. Adams. I rather think they will agree this has been mutual so far as they are concerned. In regard to the letter and the 14 per cent increase in rates mentioned, men-tioned, how did this 14 per cent item get so widely spread? I i heard it, and read it everywhere and when I was questioned on every side my answer was always al-ways the same. "They don't expect ex-pect that amount but by requesting request-ing a plenty the gas company will naturally be in a position to get a bigger hike than if they asked for a lesser amount. Furthermore in regard to the article I didn't write it and I was never incensed but rather amused amus-ed at one or two of the slips that were made in the patented questions ques-tions and answers that continued hour after hour, the questions by your able attorney and the answers an-swers by yourself and other per-'sonnel per-'sonnel key members of your organization. or-ganization. All you fellows did was read. In regard to taxes, if my farm fails to produce sufficient revenue reve-nue to meet my property tax I have but two alternatives: viz either borrow if I can and pay or turn it over to ithe county, on the other hand the public service commission allows you to collect the property tax from your sub- 'scribers only with all the other expenses involved, wages, salaries and many other incidentals connected con-nected with your operations plus a dividend which you claim is going go-ing to 3,370 Utah stockholders. If you don't care to go deeper it's perfectly all right with me but if |