Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-10-29

COMMENTS OF THE COMMISSIONERS.
The recommendations made by the boar,
appointed to consider the location, arrange
ment and operation OF electric wires in the Dis
trict, full abstract of whose report submitted
to the President was published in yesterday
STAR, has naturally provoked discussion among
those interested in the corporations maintain
ing wires in this city as well as among the Dis
trict officials. The report will, it is stated, be
transmitted by the President to Congress with
the documents usually accompanying the Pres
ldents message.
Having only hastily glanced over what is evil
IDENTIFY mere abstract Of the report of the COM
mission said Mr.. A. A. Thomas the president
of the United States Electric Lighting Company,
to ARreporter lest evening, Il am of course
not In position to express any very positive
opinion about the report can say however,
that the views of the commission in favor of the
system OF underground wires is right in line
with the prac tical work which is now being done
by our company in this city. We have now in
this city some IS miles OF Underground condu-
It's. Ours is the first company in the country to
make e full and complete test of the system
We began to put our wires under ground two
years cefore Congress required it to be DONE
and We did this not because the original OIL tlay
was cheaper. for as is well known it 10 by all odds
tie most expensive, but We believed it would be
cheaper in the end and would result in better
and more satisfactory service. I suppose that
all told we have not more than Inie and u half
or overhead wires now III USE and by next sum-
mer even these wires will be replaced by the IN
foreground system.
II also noted with pleasure that the commits
sion commended the kind of conduit which we
adopted and which we have put down. The
company believe that it is the best and of
course it is gratifying to have the Endorsement
OF toard OF experts. II cost us, however,
about $4,000 per mile Just for the conduit. with
out including the cost of the wires 1t Is easy
to calculate how much it will cost the CITY to
My c9hduits Tor nifty miles or so at that figure.
Inls brings me to Il feature of the report from
which entirely dissent / do not believe in
municipal ownership of railroads. gas works
electric plants or anything of the sort. 1t Is
cosby, uemoraiizinS ana in addition un-Ameri-
can. Municipal control is all right, but that is
quite Inherent from ownership. Our company
can bulid better conduits ana cheaper condnits
Than any municipal government can 40. One
reason Tor this is obvious. We are spending
our own money, while the municipal employees
are spending somebody's else.
1t would be a taxation of the many for ihe
benefit OF the few light takers. That is to saw
tne burden OF taxation would fall equally on
all, while bat Few would have the benefit of
either the municipal light OF the house service.
AZ glance ut the report see that the commits
sioii Use rs an argument that IS Per cent of the
water supply of cities is conducted by the mu-
nicipal corporation. This may be true but
doubt If the service is better or cheaper. but
water IKE air is vital necessity and should be
controlled and In measure owned by all. not
lett III the hands Of % company which might
cut OF the supply or raise its price beyond the
means OF the poor. But gas, telephone, tele-
graph. street railroads and kindred comnanies
produce that kind of service that person can
90 without II he 80 Chooses, and should not be
compelled TO be taxed for what he does not
want. Philadelphia illustrates the beauties of
municipal ownership. 1T is the center of the
coal trade OF the country. The TAXPAYERS are
taxed FOR the support of gasplant that pro-
duces very poor gas at price to the con-
get superior gas furnished by private cor
poration, at :l.25. These illustrations could
be multiplied,
Il also differ from the commission in regard
to having one general conduit. 1t IL not a
practical suggestion. at leas: it has never been
demonstrated TO be IL success. The wire hav-
ing the strongest potential. like an electro
lght wire, viii ronder useless a telephone wire
To build q conduit OF sIifficen: size to accom-
modate all the wires would be very expensive.
involving an outlay OF three or four million
dollars 1t is doubtful whether the taxravers
would consent to such an addition to their mn
nIclpal burdens The proposed tax on the COM
panles using th- public condui,s would be prac-
tlcaiiy proh'bitory. and naturally they would
prefer TO use the conduits already constructed
As Tar as our company is concerned we have
our system OF conduits throuy hout the central
portion Of the city now complete. There will. of
course be connections made from time to time
as tn" demand arises, but the company can dc
this work better and more cheaply than the
government can 10 ii. Our conduits are SO
constructed that new wires can be put in and
Old ones taken out without tearing up the
streets. IL the object is to have the cOmpar MES
using underground wires contribute to the Dis
trIct revenues by a tax upon their plant this
can be done without the government going into
he 81 n n "A h,,,l1
OF conduits and charging Il rental which. added
to the present charges. would place the service
beyond the reach OF any but the rich
COMMISSIONER RossELL DEEPLY INTERESTED
The engineer department at the District
building has naturally the most interest in the
report of the electrical commission and the
recommendations made therein Commits
sioner Kossell said today that he had
not studied the report very deeply, having
merely glanced over the document as
printed. However, he was deeply interested in
the matter. In the line OF his former duties
the question OF underground wires had not
entered. but he had been solely taken up with
the overhead wires and he could saw without
reservation, that the quicker they were put un-
opinion that the District should obtain some
revenue from all underground work which
uses tho streets, but whether this revenue
should be obtained by the District putting down
the cohuultS Itself ana renting them out or
by granting permits for corporations to do the
work and taxing the conduits was a matter he
was not prepared to discuss. The water works
In this city were an example, said Capt. Rossell
OF what the District could do in laying and
managing underground systems and the fact
that this city received its water cheaper than
nearly every other city in the country and that
the plant paid its own way was strong argu-
ment In support OF municipal control of other
systems. In many European cities municipal
control OF various underground works had
proved q success
CAPT. LUsK's VIEWS.
Capt Lusk, under whom the underground
systems directly fail, Thought the engineering
ideas and conclusions Of the report we're excel
lent. He fully approved of the idea that the
wires should be put underground and should
be placed along the sides of the street and not
in the middle. 1t was an excellent idea also,
he thought, to- have the dangerous wires and
traps painted red In fact, Capt. Lusk was in
full accord with the engineering portion of the
report
In regard to the recommendations az to
the absorption If the underground systems
by the District and the future laying OF sys-
TENS under municipal control the captain was
not prepared to give his views. .1he ques-
ton" he said, lis a political and economic one
and naturally cannot enter upon it. 1t opens
up broad field, however. as If the district con-
trolled the wire conduits it should also control
all other undergro and systems.
THE CIVILIAN COMMISSIONERS
Commissioner Douglass had not studied the
report aud had little to say in the matter. He