Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-13

ALLEGED SHORTAGE OF CARS

d. ", Oyster. president Of the Petworth
Citizens Association E. n. Tucker. presi-
dent of the Northeast Washington Citizens
Association, and Gen. Harries held the floor
today at the hearing before the House Dis
trict committee on the bill for 75-cent gas
and universal transfers. Mr.. Oyster and
Mr.. Tucker came to urge q favorable re-
port upon these two measures. Gen. Far
rtes. who Is vice president Of the Washing
ton Railway and Electric Company, ap-
peared In opposition to the free transfer
bill and to the bill giving to the District
Commissioners authority to supervise the
street railway systems Of the District. At
times the discussion before the committee
was animated and once or twice 1t became
rather acrimonious. The committee ap-
peared to be much interested in Gen. Har-
rfes' statement OF street railway conditions
and Interrupted him so frequently that his
remarks were noteworthy in almost every
other respect than that Of continuity. =
Gen. Harries made 1t plain that in his
opinion, universal transfers would work q
great hardship to the street car systems Of
the District; that Scent fares would great
ly injure the financial conditions Of the
companies, and that the tax charge pro-
posed by the Madden bill would mean bank
ruptcy for his system at least.
Mr.. Oyster for Cheaper Gas.
President Oyster Of the Petworth Citizens
Association Endorsed, on behalf Of that
body, the I5-cent gas bill and the universal
transfer measure. He was confident that
the Washington Gas Light Company could
furnish gas for IS cents a thousand cubic
feet without doing any injustice to its en-
ployes or having its earning capacity cut
down to the point where the stockholders
would be injured. His attention had first
been called to the gas question by reading
consular reports from which he learned that
in foreign municipalities gas was sold at
vastly lower rate than in the national
capital. In his innocense he said he went
to the gas company for information and
was told by the secretary that Mr.. Oyster
knew how much gas Mr. Oyster burned and
that was all Mr.. Oyster had to worry about
He found out them he said, what must peo-
pie were finding out now, and that was that
the gas company was not required to make
any report to Congress of its annual oper-
atoms
Notwithstanding the Washington Gas
Light Company has millions of feet of gas
to burn" said Mr.. Oyster, they have been
permitted to work in the dark"
Following his interview with the secretary
of the company, Mr.. Oyster said he had
read up on congressional Investigations of
the local gas situation and had informed
himself from other documents bearing on
the subject. Everything tended to con-
vince him that the gas company charged
too much for its product No intelligent
man, he said, could claim with justice that
it cost from 100 to 200 per cent more to
make and distribute gas in washington
than in the cities of England or from 40
to 60 per cent more than in other cities
In the United States. 80.
Mr.. Oyster said in reply to questions
from members Of the committee that in his
opinion the issue Of certificates of .indebt-
edness by the gas company, to the extent
of about $3.0000O0, had been nothing more
or less than a distribution of accumulated
profits, in other words, an extra diyi-
dend.
President fuckers Contention.
President Tucker Of the Northeast Wash
ington Citizens Association asserted that
his organization had Endorsed the Madden
bill for. 75-cent gas and that it's members
believed that it was the duty of Congress
as long as it ailo we'd the local gas COM
panies franchise. which was in the nature
of monopoly, to see that the citizens of
Washington got good gas at a reasonable
figure. They looked to Congress to find
out what 1t cost to make and distribute
gas-the association having no means of
finding this out-and to fix the rate to the
consumer upon this basis.
Mr.. Tucker called attention to the fact
that since gas was sold to the consumer at
"a thousand cubic feet no reduction had
ever been made without public agita Ion
OF the subject. Most of the reductions had
been made by Congress and some by the
gas company, but always this action had
been taken following agitation and public
Senator Fosters bill for 75-cent xas. in
troduced in the Senate some years ago, was
referred to by Mr.. Tucker. He said his
organization had Endorsed that measure
but that 1t received the Endorsement of
very few Of the citizens associations owing
to the fact that the District Commission
ers fixed time for hearing on the measure
before most of the associations could act
And he insisted that the Commissioners
adverse report on the bill had been ridicu-
lous in that the statement was made that
there was no public demand for the redue-
ton. The citizens he represented did not
wish to be unreasonable, but they wanted
to get as much as possible for their money.
They had reason to believe that the COM
If the committee found this to be the case.
they thought II was only Just that the price
should be so fixed. He thought, moreover
that it was foolish to pay the present gas
duct in the day time. when there was no
general use Of 1t.
He thought Congress should provide
that inspections should be made at night.
Mr.. Tucker Endorsed the universal
transfer bill. but said that the demand
for universal transfers would be elm
mated to great extent. so far as the
citizens Of Northeast Washington were
concerned. If Congress authorized the
Capital Traction Company to build
north and south line through the section
in question. The cttfxens down there had
been demanding this for fifteen years.
Through Cars to Brfghtvood.
Louis p. Shoemaker. president of the
Brishtwood Citiaens' Association and
chairman of q committee Of the Business
Mems Association. appeared to urge in a
personal way. rs he pat It, that the COM
mittee faverably act on the gas and uni
versal transfer hills and to urge on be-
half Of the Brightvood CitizenS Associa-
ton that the Washington Railway and
Electric Company - compelled to run
through cars on its 9Th street line to
Brightwood. instead Of dumping pas
sengefs into the street at ith and Florida
avenue and compelling them to wait
there an ipdetermfnate length Of time for
tho connecting car. His organisation had
not considered free transfers. hut they
were mfkhtfly interested in q through
service. People out that way had suffered
for years, he said. The Capital Traction
Company had receRlty attended It's 18th
street nne praekicakfy through the woods
and was running through cara on this
line, while the Rxtghtwood companyy
Operated along q street that was practically
built up did not run through cars. and
yet claimed al the time that the COM
pany was losing money. He did not see
how q was possible for an overhead