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v v » x/ i - . , \ ' ' " v . < % '*:•• '"••£ * >' s •* 4! «>s, ;, «w .u,x^: •*:?& 11 I * - / * , . * v » ' V ' - • ^«v^\ r *•* ¥tr<v..-i ^ :£ jSW*wRM£p M IR^SPf^Ws0; KliIPP^Ili®KSES . v^'.V.'.^ .: v*>< -t^;*:;v *•:;:; - ,y,*y; 'V\1* ^-; \V ^*V ^fv" :-'I;ft • 'Vr ,..*<>« $ .;• V.r1; : i - S f ? . ••; '• V:T# *"*",4i;: O"« o""_S"§ ***««* ..»* - •" « ,;," :;i'^t' *fo* ^ *£Jr' *- v *** '** -<w-' ** . «' i f C :, Vy • -"V^ ^ ' - *M,iil ii*U >>W V^-i! i " : j $ <%»•••' ' ^!wS>- •.- V *,,--* „ -s.V^?3vv' V •*-•*;'• "k;k -av •*.-•* v=;-,v *V '.xt! . .-yv, ' * CheaolM • : .*' v > .?:, ;vJL . :^f'>:i(•^ :-:f •.:•:;.•!<••• \ A- .':. ' t**' V - ... • • ;-j .:i6.o".:.f. as you tj' » ^ , r ^ *y? -It •fet'.<•'*>. '•'- ":'t^*J-u'^VrjA.'-V->V':*iliUt, " w. *«-. -V .-^,' , . ^-;a'v c ERTAINLY NOT! Neither can we. So we have finalW income. This application to the Commission has been put off and put off. We have tried to get ^long on the same old rates for our service that you paid av/a$ , ba.^:b^|9|"£4h!ft war. But we simply cannot do it any longer without letting the seryice slump. V > , - ; " ;; , We have been very proud of our rat$ record. In spite of war prices, and mounting cos& of every kind, we have kept the rates down. 'A moderate sur-charge on the electrical power rate, a slight modification on the wholesale gas rate, and a moderate increase in the heating rate have beeii ' the only increases. ' 5 ' ' ' ' . • • -'• ' ' ••• " " , . : v ^. All through the war and up. to now, homes, offices, stores and the like have had oi®r ^electric iand gas service at the old rates of 191# The power sur-charge was dropped last May. Since then all customers have been on the 1914 rates, except a dozen or fifteen very large users of gas in manufacturing, and our heating customers;* they still pay a little more than they used to. * You know from personal gtperience that nobody can get along now oh the price he re* ceived in 1914 for his labor, his services, his merchandise or his manufactured product. You have to get more income to cover your increased expenses. And nearly everybody is getting it : v Our situation is no different from yours except in one respect: we are not getting more money to meet the higher costs. But your food and clothing have not gone up any higher than our materials and labor. Just see how these costs have risen since 1914, while rates are the same as then. -TV W- •-'/.£•;: .. . Coal, an essential for an electric, gasp or any other kind of a plant, now costs nearly three times tiie price of 1914. Oil for gas makings has also trebled in price and the quality has declinj^ ed. The price of gas generator fuel has more thaifi?!; doubled. And so on for practically everything w0^:; buy, from paper and peocUs to Jiote?. jpp^er House equipment. -•W- . r l; f • •/ ' 1, 1 '# ate*' Oar materials and labor costs for this year (1920) will be all of $700,000 more than thej. Were in 1919. That is a conservative estimate. It is based on the experience of the first four months 1 of this year and prices are still going up. It'mean^^ Aj^* a 1920 increase of $700,000 on top of a $500,000 in- .J} ,r Crease in the same items in 1919--an increase .f. $1,200,000 for material and labor in two years. U;vi^5k No business can for what it buys, sell its product at 1914 prices, and. V Stay on its feet in healthy growth. To keep ouf service up to standard and provide for the growing Heeds of this community, we simply must have the -rates which the Pubtic pUUt^^ has been asked for. T , v " Our customers here and elsewhere, w# Relieve, are fair-minded and are for fair play. Th® facts of our situation are before you. When yoil face them squarely, we believe you will agree that-* we are entitled to increased rate%^ i f iv . ' y . . .. -i; .^^V-AS>; 5 - . *vr Service Company^ of Northern Illinois ^ 'V; r ** it "t » Vv- v ^ v£ rarest :-V *xsPr- •• •^ *• k-' " t " I -V • p. * '\,k: %> ^ C. • - v,< -y'-r,. - ^ *s fiV;; •i' "v:'r ' '-A f • \ .1 ,?v V;:\ ( 1 * * fit * '> t r*4p. K,.%V*V Lv.-> '• '"U'- •: " • , • f* '•W'sS;'. •C- •*• f- ** V A »»V4^ "*3 r;; %.; , r - - s "• . •."7*v<. u;v •' *"ii V-;', t'ii.'u". "J» 1 • *"A MM* • ."vu.9 :•*$?.• ? • • • y.V., t •*?*:•• y a?. > *r*v ift ys"? A-i* r ii':j -i,. * -.. ' ••- '* •r^k' H h f r ' * W1 :> ; -:v"^ * , .. '"• • J1,-- ;f.•' • • rr.1 / •••" Tl • " ^ # ^s3ea^c , " - lr« ' < 2'*" ;«6 f, ' *<' •/ : «vv->.a ^ > 'V - - £ ' * -V4, y y t'w