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Show Gas Rates And The PSC 1 now begin to be leaning to an elected Commission, Commis-sion, more answerable to the electorate. Halley Thomas Mountain Fuel (monopoly) continues the rate game with Public Service Commission. They ask for an exorbitant rate raise. The PSC allow s a smaller increase (interim)'.' The interim increase becomes a solid rate. NOW ANOTHER increase is applied for. When sales tax and city francise tax is added the heating bill becomes unbearable. Mountain Bell is getting her hands deeper into the cookie jar. During 19X3 the customer was hit with three raises: March 2.7 percent; per-cent; July 4.6 percent: December 1 .7 percent: February Febru-ary 14. 1984 another raise has been allowed. The access charge has been stopped for two years by a bill passed in Congress. The extended area service charge, allows Bountiful to call north of Farminglon. began as $1 .89 is now $3.06. This charge is paid by all customers although the majority have no use for that particular service. A recent proposed charge of $.45 for inside wiring insurance and $.65 for business phones seems to be another rip-off enamating from divestiture. Natural gas and phone service seems to be gradually being priced beyond the financial means of many customers. cus-tomers. A RECENT cartoon shows Mountain Fuel and Mountain Bell taking turns robbing the public customer. cus-tomer. The cartoon also makes the point that the PSC is going to arrest the customer for indecent exposure because all he has left is his shorts. |