State ex rel. City of Seattle v. Public Service Commission

Citations

• 107 Wash. 17
• 180 P. 913
• 1919 Wash. LEXIS 727

Syllabus

<p>Gas (3) —Regulation oe Charges — Public Service Hearing — Notice. Irregularity in tbe public service commission bearing on an application to fix gas rates, without tbe ten days’ notice required by Rem. Code, § 8626-80 (wbicb is for tbe benefit of tbe one against whom tbe complaint is filed) is not available to a city wbicb was not required to litigate tbe issue presented by its complaint until after tbe fullest opportunity to present its case.</p> <p>Same (3). Where tbe public service commission is proceeding on its own motion, under Rem. Code, § 8626-82, to bear an application to fix gas rates, tbe city cannot, by filing a complaint within ten days of tbe bearing, deprive tbe commission of power to proceed with tbe bearing.</p> <p>Same (3)—Regulation of Chabges—Reasonableness — Evidence—Sufficiency. A gas company seeking a reasonable increase in rates, sustains the burden of proof imposed by Rem. Code, § 8626-82, where it submitted all the testimony, which included úncontested findings on previous hearings, records and detailed reports of experts justifying the increase, and it was also sustained by the commission’s general knowledge as a result of previous experience and investigation.</p> <p>Same (3) —Regulation of Chabges-—Reasonableness. Rem. Code, § 8626-26, requiring rates to be just, fair, reasonable and sufficient, authorizes an adjustment between different classes of consumers, and an increase over those asked for, if necessary to make them just and fair to each class and to enable the company to continue to serve the public.</p>