Show protecting ME IKE PUBLIC the state regulatory commissions in missouri and oklahoma have taken municipally owned electric utilities to task insisting that they as well as privately owned plants set aside annually a reserve for depreciation and amortization until such funds shall be sufficient to protect municipalities against ultimate loss when it becomes necessary in thy the interest of progress and economy to dismantle the plants and in the interest of the public make them parts of great super systems the missouri commissions beels ion was in reply to the contention of 0 persons favoring municipal ownership who claimed that a depreciation reserve fund was an expense the comm ason pointed out that no other business would a attempt to operate without making puch such a provision and that in many instances municipally owned utilities which fall to make such a charge are frequently able to show a surplus when as a matter of tact fact they are merely blinding the public to a financial situation which sooner or later will cause the community much trouble |