Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-25

The hearing on the application OF
the Georgetown Gaslight Company
for permission to increase its capital
stock from $I5o,ooo to 100000 was
resumed this morning before James
G.. Payne, auditor for the District
Supreme Court. A recess had been
taken since August 6 last, for the
purpose of affording sufficient time
to the company's bookkeepers to
prepare statements setting forth in
detail the earnings and expenses of
the company for the past five years.
These statements, recapitulation
of which is printed above, were pre-
sented today to the auditor.
The first witness today was John f.
Bates. the accountant for the company,
who testified in detail to the prepara-
tion of the statements, and was cross-exam-
ined by Attorney Stuart Mcnamara in be-
half of the United States and by Corpora
ton Counsel Thomas, representing Ihe Dis
tr.ct of Columbia
Gas at 60 Cents.
The most interesting piece of information
nation of the witness was that the WASH
ington Gas Light Company sold to the
Georgetown company gas at the rate of
90 cents per thousand cubic fest, and that
during the period covered By the statements
the Georgetown company had purchased
so 900 worth of gas at that figure.
The retail price to the consumer before
the recent reduction to 81 was at the rate
OF 81 % per 1000.
lNn tf,Nr,
account, elicted flom the witness the In
formation that the witness had placed in
that account items not so charged on the
books of the company, because ne thought
such items should be so charged. Witness
did not, he admitted, take ont of the con-
struction account items which IN his opin-
ion, should not be included in such an ac-
count. Consequently, he said, real estate
purchased Is charged to the construction
account.
Mr.. Thomas then requested the auditor to
require the company to furnish Il segre-
gated account OF the COS, of the separate
parcels of real estate owned by the COM
pany and similar list OF the service pipes
and meters.
that such information be furnished and to
allow the accountant time to do the neces-
eary cereal work in the preparation of the
list an adjournment ordered until to-
morrow morning. Before adjournment
however, counsel agreed wAl the auditor
that Friday, October A. should be appointed
as the time to hear arguments on the evil
dence adduced before the auditor
Delay in Beginning.
The hearing did not get under way this
morning until nearly IL o'clock, owing TO
a misunderstanding of counsel as to the
time to begin Mr.. Perry first placed in
evidence certified copies of the deeds to the
real estate owned by the company and a
letter received by the company. since the
last hearing of the case, from the District
assessor Civ ng notice of an increase in the
ass2ssable property of the company. This
increase, which was placed on the service
pipes and meters. amounted 70 SS1,396.
MIR. Perry stated that the action Of the
assessor showed the Commissioners had
taken coSnizance of the testimony offered
by the company at the former hearings
and acquiesced both in the right or
ownership of the company TO the service
pipes and meters and to The valuation
placed on them by the compaHy's expert
witnesses. Mr.. Thomas objected to the
letter as evidence, claiming the board OF
assessors to be an independent body and
that any action by the Commit 5slOners
was not germane to the inquiry.
The auditor interrupted the discussion
and decided that the matter "a over until
the arIument. Mr.. Bates was then called
to the stand and testified in daSa'l to
by the company.
Value of the Plant.
The statement of net earnings, 1t is
claimed by counsel for the comuany. bears
ont the testimony of their experts. who de-
and more. One of tlc.r witnesses stated
that he would be willing to purchase at