Evening star., 1898-02-03
REPORT ADVERSELY.
Commissioners object to Heating and
Power Company Measure.

C0mmissfoners Object to Heating and
Power Company Measure.
In a report to Chairman Babcock of the
House District committee, the District
Commissioners, in referring to House bill
GsS9. to incorporate the Columbia Heating
and Power Company, and to grant thereto
the right to lay pipes for the distribution
of heat and power in the District. say that
the establishment Of q plant In the city to
supply heat and power by means of steam
seems to them at this time to be inad-
yisable.
The supplying Of power can be done much
mora economically and advantageously by
means of electricity or compressed air, the
Commissioners think, and they do not be-
iieve that the climate Of Washington Is
such as to render the distribution of heat
frem central station profitable. They
point out that the streets in the more
thlckly built up portions of the city would
De where the company would naturally first
desire to operate. and as they are already
MED with sewer, water and gas pipes tel
ephone and electric light conduits. It is
considered highly undesirabie and contrary
10 the public interests to charter at this
tlme company whose first work will oe
to tear up the existing street pavements
and add to the already complicated system
of subsurface constructions
Inc Commissioners consider the bill as
drawn, very Objectionable. and state their
reasons. They say that in line % of section
the company Is authorized ito buy, lease
OF sell lands, plants OR warehouses, as may
De necessary or expedient, for the opera
ton of their system Under this clause
the company, say the Commissioners, could
make arrangements with any OF the tele-
phone or electric light companies for the
purpose OF extending the conduits of the
latter 1t would seem to the Commission
ers to be sufficient under the proposed law
TO state that the company deemed it "ex-
pedient' for the operation of their system,
II II was necessary to acquire mora capital,
to sell q portion of its plant underground
to some other corporation.
The second section of the bill, continue
the Commissioners. appears to be drawn up
with the object of always having an appeal
from the action of the Commissioners in
their regulations concerning the company
They state that they deem it highly unde-
siraoie to have II made mandatory upon
tnem TO Immediately upon the presenta-
tion OF said map. plan or diagram, to sx-
anime the same"
Referring 10 another part of section 2 of
the Dill. the Commissioners say that their
ection is made subject to review by the
courts under the Interpretation of the
words Just" reasonable" and proper"
They think 1t would be much better if the
law were so worded as to make the regu-
iatlons and notifications Of the company's
plans and maps such as the Commission
srs might deem reasonable and proper The
present wording would be apt, they think
to lead to litigation if the company were
not granted exactly what it desired, as the
company would probably take the matter
into court for the purpose of proving that
the regulations of the Commissioners were
neither just nor reasonable, and that their
modffcationS were reasonable.
The third section of the BILL the Com
missioners believe. practically gives the
company permission to extend its lines to
any portion of the District, and when
taken in connection with lines % and 26 of
sirable
The seventh section Of the bill, the Com
missioners say, should be so amended az
to prohibit the construction of any track
across any public street. or avenue.