SEC Company Response from SOUTH JERSEY GAS — Aug 19, 2005
SOUTH JERSEY GAS CO/NEW (CIK 0001035216)
Date: Aug. 19, 2005 · CIK: 0001035216 · Accession: 0000091928-05-000050
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 333-126822
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CORRESP
1
filename1.htm
South Jersey Gas Company Confidential Correspondence
[Letterhead
of Cozen O’Connor]
Richard
J. Busis
Direct
Phone 215-665-2756
Direct
Fax 215-701-2456
RBUSIS@COZEN.COM
August
19, 2005
VIA
EDGAR FILING
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporation Finance
100
F Street, N.E.
Washington,
D.C. 20549
Mail
Stop: 3561
Attention:
Mr. H. Christopher Owings, Assistant Director
Re:
South
Jersey Gas Company
Registration
Statement on Form S-3 filed July 22, 2005
File
No. 333-126822
Form
10-K for the Fiscal Year ended December 31,
2004
Forms
10-Q for the Fiscal Quarters ended March 31, 2005 and June 30,
2005
File
No. 0-22211
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
On
behalf
of South Jersey Gas Company (the “Company”), we are hereby responding to the
comments of the Commission staff as set forth in the letter of H. Christopher
Owings, Assistant Director, dated August 11, 2005 with respect to the Company’s
Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed July 22, 2005.
For
ease
of reference, the responses have been numbered to correspond to the comments
as
numbered in the comment letter.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
August
19, 2005
Page
2
Form
10-K for the Year Ended December 31, 2004
Management’s
Discussion & Analysis, page 12
Commodity
Market Risks, page 22
1.
The
requested revisions will be made in future filings as required by Item 305
of
Regulation S-K.
Note
1—Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, page 30
Operating
Revenues, page 31
2. The
transfer of the appliance service business became effective as of September
1,
2004. Accordingly, the results of operations related to the appliance service
business are included in the Company’s financial statements for each period
through August 31, 2004. Beginning September 1, 2004, such results are not
included. The removal of the appliance service business’ results of operations
can be seen by the reduced appliance service business revenues for the year
ended December 31, 2004 set forth in the revenue table entitled “Comparative
Operating Statistics” on page 11 of the Company’s Form 10-K as such revenues
were included only through August 31, 2004.
Note
11—Employee Benefit Plans, page 41
3. The
"Amortization of Loss and Other" component of FAS 106 expense for fiscal years
2004 and 2003 consists of the following (in thousands):
2004
2003
Loss
Amortization
$
284
$
454
Prior
Service Cost Amortization
(154
)
(
81
)
Total
Amortization of Loss and Other
$
130
$
373
The
change in Loss Amortization was attributable to an asset gain during the period
of January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003 and assumption changes on January
1, 2004, both of which lowered the unrecognized loss. These assumptions were
summarized in the actuarial assumption table on page 44 of the Company’s Form
10-K.
The
change in Prior Service Cost Amortization was primarily attributable to a plan
amendment in 2004. This amendment placed caps on the amount of the premium
the
Company pays for all employees eligible for postretirement health care as
described in the footnote on page 43 of the Company’s Form 10-K.
Securities
and Exchange Commission
August
19, 2005
Page
3
Note
13—Commitments and Contingencies, page 46
4. [Confidential
Treatment Requested by South Jersey Gas Company (item no. R-4) — The information
contained in this response no. 4 has been submitted to the Commission
supplementally pursuant to Rule 83 of the Freedom of Information
Act.]
General
If
you
have any questions with regard to these responses, need further supplemental
information or would like to discuss any of the matters covered by this letter,
please contact me at (215) 665-2756 or my colleague Scott Brucker at (215)
665-3710.
Sincerely,
COZEN
O’CONNOR
/s/
Richard J.
Busis
BY:
RICHARD J. BUSIS