Taken from the Nov. 10, 1933, files of the Dolores Star

Dolores Citizens Organize To Fight Power Rate Hoist

A mass meeting of about fifty citizens was held at the town hall Monday evening to protest against the proposed service charge by the Highland Utilities Company. A committee was appointed to meet with representatives of Cortez and Mancos and to draft a petition, which will be circulated in all three towns and then placed as a protest in the hands of the public utilities commission.

The proposed service charge is 50 cents per meter for domestic lighting and $1 per month for commercial lighting. The price revision will become effective on all bills sent out by the company after Nov. 19, unless suspended in accordance with provisions of the public utility laws of Colorado.

Citizens of the three towns served by the company are most determined in their efforts to see that the new charge does not go into effect. They say that it was not intended that the consumer should bear the burden of the federal taxes and the expense of NRA compliance. They believe the government intended this expense should be borne by the company without additional cost to the public. It is pointed out that the charges made by the company are already exorbitantly high and any addition to this burden will be in the nature of the straw, which broke the camel's back.

The Dolores meeting went on record as favoring a counter move toward seeking a reduction of existing rates.

The committee named is as follows: W. E. Ratekin, H.J. Porter, P. A. Shields, S. H. Phlegar, T. H. Akin, George Lofquist, and Merton Taylor.

The meeting here was presided over by Paul A. Shields, H.V. Pyle acting as secretary.