Show SI THE LIGHT MONOPOLY Tho Gas Company Has Everything Its otrit Way Tho sale of 1600 shares of the stock of the Rocky Mountain Power Light and Heating Company to T W Ellerbeck president of the Salt Lake City Gas Company which took place yesterday places the controlling interest of the system Tglectric lights into the hands of the city gas monopoly At the time the electric light plant was established here the gas company was obliged to come down a little on their rates and with the recent use of the incandescent in-candescent ft was hoped that the pas company would be brought down to living rates The gas company saw that they would be obliged to reduce theirrate from 3 to 2 per l 1000 feet and rather than do this they concluded that they could better bet-ter afford to pay a good price for the control con-trol of the opposition company It is understood that the electric light people held out as long as they could in justice to themselves but tho other people threatened to establish another electric plant This would of course have proved disastrous to the original lightning light-ning dealers and they were forced to capitulate As a result of this the Gas Company will have everything its own way and can not only retain the present stiff rate on gas but can raise the price on it if they desire and can also make the elec tric light tax as heavy as they choose The city is entirely at the mercy of the monopoly and unless it shows more conscience con-science than it has heretofore exhibited heavy consumers may as well go back to the use of coal oil |