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Home My WebLink About1931-10-20 Po~ & DAms SEO~I' N ~ND ~eflT I ~C ~ONNA~K TELEPHONK October ~3, 1931 Board of Selec~en, Nantucket Massachusetts ~illiam T Swain, Secretary Dear Sirs I ac~owledge the c~~c~on of yo~ Board dated October 21, 1951 inq~ri~ about the prosecution of a petition to the Public Utilities Co~ission relative to electric light rates You request me to s~gest, in a s~a~ way, w~t the cost of s~h a proceedi~ght be If such a petition was merely presented to the Board, without e~l~tion of the accosts of the electric compaq, the cost wo~d probably ~t exceed $100 for an ordl~ry hearl~, not exceedi~ a day Such a proceedi~ wo~= ~o~t merely to an i~orm~ dis- cussion with the Board of the ~antucket rates ~wever, it is doubtf~ if such a pro- ceeding wo~d produce s~stanti~ resets If the To~ starts ou~ to prove that the ra~es are too high, the petitioners wo~d have to be prepared to make a ~oro~h ex~tion, by public acco~tants, of all operations and costs of the electric compa~ to show the cost of produci~ and distributing the c~rent, and the fair value of the plant, upon ~ich the stockhoXders are entitled ~ a reaso~ble ret~n ~o one can est~ate In advice the cost of such a proceeding ~ guess is that it wo~d r~ into some thousands of dollars, as accountants are very expensive persons, and the investigation of the accounts wou~d be off a most detailed character Such an exan~nation regard as out off the question at present The petition, however, which you ~peak of, appears to be that off certain do not believe that you are Justiffied in spending town money to enforce such a petition, without a vote of the town It is Serely the private request off certain ind~vidua~s to the Board~ and the cost wou~d have to be paid by them The petitioners might, iff they are so advised, insert an article in the warrant to see whether the town would instruct the Selectmen to take action in the matter ~As a practical su~gestion~ it might be worth while flor the Selectmen to t_~ke up the ~atter informa~ly with the ~anager off the plant, and see iff you can get some relief in this matter by a £riend~y proceedin~ Very truly yours, GriP/s: