The Washington herald., 1907-01-15
GAS DATA HELD BACK
Company Still Ignores Re-
quest for Figures.
COMPLAINT BY MACFARLAND
Commissioner Again Requests the
Officials to Furnish Him with the
Information Called for Several
Days AgO-Wants Estimate ON the
Cost of Making by Tomorrow.

Notwithstanding the efforts Of the Com
imissioners to obtain from the Washington
Gas Company a statement Of the receipts
and expenditures as weH as of the cost
of making gas, the same has not been
Forthcoming from the officials Of the com
Ipany. Because of this delay, Commis-
sioner Macfarland again addressed the
company yesterday, requesting that the
information De furnished not later than
tomorrow noon. it being the desire Of the
. Commissioners TO submit their report on
the matter 70 Congress at the earliest
possible moment
Two days previous to the hearing before
the Commissioners on the Madden gas
bin. Commissioner West requested the
company to submit a statement such as is
furnished by other public utility concerns.
for consideration by the Commissioners in
their report on the measure.
No effort was made 70 comply with this
request. The only excuse offered was that
the secretary was ill., Mr.. Orme evidently
being the only official from whom the re-
Iquired statement could be obtained
Excuses. but Not Promises.
There was no mention in the letter OF
the assistant secretary that the informa-
ton would be supplied later. 1t was sim
ply a statement 10 the effect that MIR.
IOrme was sick. evidently considered by
the officials Of the company TO be all that
Ia reasonable public could desire.
In lieu Of this much-desired information,
Attorney GOldsbOrough submitted Il state
ment dwelling in detail upon the amount
. Of taxes paid by the company, the eX-
! / celence Of the gas furnished, ending with
/ the assertion that the present cost Of
b manufacturing gas was O. cents per loo3
. feet, and that to reduce the price 70 the
consumer 10 . cents would mean con-
fscation Of the business Of the company.
. No figures were produced by Mr. Colds
/ borough TO prove that The cost OF max
b ing gas is Go cents. ne simply Offering "a
{ statement TO that effect supported by a
81 similar announcement from Mr.. Mcllhen-
] ny, engineer of the company
Extract Valuable Information.
By the sklIful questioning Of Commis-
{ sioueTs Macforiand and West the follow
% ing information was extracted from Mr..
= Goldsborough: That the receipts Of the
company for the last year amounted 90
- SIS0.00o the expenditures Sl20o,oo0 a ne:
profit Of 500 6JQ; that the value Of the plant
to-day is S1o10050. that the par value OF
. the stock is so a share. and the market
l value 500. that 100000 certificates Of in-
e debteduess" have been issued IN lieu OF
@ bonds
e IN response TO a question by COmmis-
siouer West IS 10 whether these CsTtin-
cetes Of Indebtedness We're not issued IN
order TO avoid calling the attention OF
the public to TIE declaring OF a large
: dividend. Mr.. GoldsboroUgh stated that
they We're not The certificates of in
|debtcdness, he said. were held by th'
= stockholders aud the public.
* Any further Information desired by ia,
D. Commissioners. Nj GoldsborOush said
u would be gladly furnished. Four da5!
j have elapsed and there has not been q
r murmur from the gas company. In IN,
- meantime the Commissioners have beer
- awaiting the receipt Of the information
- stating that it is their desire TO make
an Intelligent report on the Madden bill
% which they cannot do unless they are in
-, formed as 10 the cost OF making gas anC
q fOther points which the officials OF th.
20 company have thus far refused 70 di
P vulge-
Association Awaits Figures.
h Inability 10 secure the desired dat
y prevented the South Washington CHI
" zens' Association from acting on tn
y Madden bin last evening at their regular
monthly meeting held at Grace Episcopa
I. Church. After the regular business. how
n ever, there was much discussion Of tn
II question. and large number of the mem
81 bers Of the association announced thei
{, determination 10 stand by the fight whicl
IS is being made for cheaper gas. The mat
ter will De taken up at the next meeting
when il is expected that some definiJ
action will be had in regard to tn
matter
" Some Of the members. after telling o
the big bills which they had been force
n 70 pay. suggested that the meeting b
T. called to order, so that the organization
ID might frame some resolution. Il liyel
<, discussion at once took place as {
D., whether this could be done, and the mat
Ia. ter was finally referred TO tho president
a r. Harrison johnson In the course o
~ the argument ex-President ". II. ChUrc
= took the floor After saying that he wa
" heartily in favor OF such a measure. h
said that he considered that it would b
D. most unwiSe for the society 10 attempt {
ID pass upon the matter Of cheaper gas be
e. fore they had some reliable facts upo
re which To base their resolutions.
S. we could not" he said, make an
e. sensible resolution concerning this sub
)r iect until we have something upon whic
Je 10 talk. Personally, the matter Of talkin
AZ about '75-Cent gas means nothing TO mC
Is We do not know anything about the cos
10 of making gas, and until we do, / thin
'h il would be most inadvisable TO attemI
y to pass upon H."
VIII Act at Next Meeting.
ID The president then decided that mas
TO much as the meeting had adjourned,
le would be unwise to bring further bus
ness before the members. He then sal
- that the matter would be brought UP be
fore the next meeting Of the society
which viii De the second Monday in Fet
ruary.
The sentiment Of the association, how
ever. seems 10 be strongly in favor Of rc
duCiug the price of gas.
Indorse Madden Bill.
An unqualified Endorsement Of the Mad
den gas bin and a suggestion that tn
universal transfer bill be amended so q
TO prevent an unlimited passage on tn
cars was the result of a lengthy meetin
of the Northeast Citizens Associatio
last night The matter of the gas bill We
considered from every side, and ever
member Of the association took part /
the debate on it. It was finally passed b
a unanimous vote, and the associatio
agreed to make every effort to cause il