[2-U-1116] IN THE MATTER OF THE PROPOSED REVISION OF THE UNIFORM SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS FOR CLASS C ELECTRIC UTILITIES UNIFORM SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS for Class "C" electric utilities, revised, to become effective on and after January 1, 1938. WHEREAS the Commission has had under consideration the revision of the uniform system of accounts for Class C electric utilities as adopted and prescribed by the Commission on December 8, 1925 (29 W.R.C. 639); and WHEREAS the Commission did, at 10 a.m. on the 6th day of July 1937, hold a public hearing on said matter at its office in the Capitol in the city of Madison, Wisconsin, for the purpose of giving all parties interested an opportunity to be heard relative to the above-entitled matter; and WHEREAS the Commission, having made further investigation of the matter and being duly advised in the premises, finds that it is in the public interest that the system of accounts for Class C electric utilities now in effect, be rescinded, effective December 31, 1937, and that there be substituted therefor the system hereto annexed and made a part hereof; NOW, THEREFORE, In conformity with Section 196.06 of the Wisconsin Statutes, the undersigned Public Service Commission of Wisconsin hereby prescribes the uniform system of accounts, hereto attached and made a part hereof, for each Class C electric utility, as defined in said system of accounts, effective on and after January 1, 1938. Dated at Madison, Wisconsin, this 20th day of July 1937. PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION OF WISCONSIN FRED S. HUNT Chairman ROBERT A. NIXON Commissioner R. FLOYD GREEN [SEAL] ATTEST: WM. M. DINNEEN Commissioner ABSTRACTS FROM WISCONSIN STATUTES 1. AUTHORITY FOR UNIFORM SYSTEM OF ACCOUNTS Section 196.06 (1) Every public utility shall keep and render to the commission in the manner and form prescribed by the commission uniform accounts of all business transacted. (2) Every public utility engaged directly or indirectly in any other business than that of the production, transmission or furnishing of heat, light, water or power or the conveyance of telephone messages shall, if required by the commission, keep and render separately to the commission in like manner and form the accounts of all such other business, in which case all the provisions of this chapter shall apply to the books, accounts, papers and records of such other business. (3) Every public utility is required to keep and render its books, accounts, papers and records accurately and faithfully in the manner and form prescribed by the commission, and to comply with all directions of the commission relating to such books, accounts, papers and records. (4) The commission shall prepare suitable blanks for carrying out the purposes of chapters 196 and 197, and shall, when necessary, furnish such blanks to each public utility. (5) No public utility shall keep any other books, accounts, papers or records of the business transacted than those prescribed or approved by the commission. (6) Each public utility shall have an office in one of the towns, villages or cities in this state in which its property or some part thereof is located, in which it shall keep all books, accounts, papers and records required by the commission to be kept within the state. No books, accounts, papers or records required by the commission to be kept within the state shall be removed from the state, except upon conditions prescribed by the commission. 2. PENALTIES Section 196.65 (1) Any officer, agent or employe of any public utility or railroad as defined in sections 195.02 and 196.01, who shall fail or refuse to fill out and return any blanks as required by chapters 195 and 196, or shall fail or refuse to answer any question therein propounded, or shall knowingly give a false answer to any such question, or shall evade the answer to any such question where the fact in quired of is within his knowledge, or who shall, upon proper demand, fail or refuse to exhibit to the commission or any commissioner or any person authorized to examine the same, any book, paper, account, record or memoranda of such railroad or public utility which is in his possession or under his control, or who shall fail to properly use and keep his system of accounting or any part thereof as prescribed by the commission, or who shall refuse to do any act or thing in connection with such system of accounting when so directed by the commission or its authorized representative, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars for each offense. (2) And a penalty of not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars shall be recovered from the railroad or public utility for each such offense when such officer, agent or employe acted in obedience to the direction, instruction or request of such railroad or public utility or any general officer thereof. DEFINITIONS When used in this system of accounts: 1. "Accounts" means the accounts prescribed in this system of accounts. 2. "Amortization" means the gradual extinguishment of an amount in an account by prorating such amount over a fixed period, over the life of the asset or liability to which it applies or over the period during which it is anticipated the benefit will be realized. 3. "Associated companies" means companies or persons that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, control, or are controlled by, or are under common control with, the accounting utility. 4. "Book cost" means the amount at which property is recorded in these accounts without deduction of related reserves or other accounts. 5. "Commission" means the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. 6. "Cost" means the amount of money actually paid for property or services or the cash value, at the time of the transaction, of any consideration other than money. 7. "Cost of removal" means the cost of demolishing, dismantling, tearing down or otherwise removing utility plant, including the cost of transportation and handling incident thereto. 8. "Debt expense" means all expenses in connection with the original issuance and initial sale of evidences of debt such as fees for drafting mortgages and trust deeds; fees and taxes for issuing or recording evidences of debt; cost of engraving and printing bonds and certificates of indebtedness; fees paid trustees; specific costs of obtaining governmental authority; fees for legal services; fees and commissions paid underwriters, brokers and salesmen for marketing such evidences of debt; and other like costs. 9. "Depreciation," as applied to depreciable utility plant, means the loss in service value not restored by current maintenance, incurred in connection with the consumption or prospective retirement of utility plant in the course of service from causes which are known to be in current operation, and against which the utility is not protected by insurance. Among the causes to be given consideration are wear and tear, decay, action of the elements, inadequacy, |