The Washington herald., 1907-01-11
GAS COST A SECRET
Difficulty of Getting Facts
Revealed at Hearing.
COMPANY GIVES EXCUSES
Illness of StatisticiaH Assigned as
Reason for Failure Of OascIaIs to
Citizens Associations Describe Fu-
tile Efforts 10 Secure Information.

The hearing before the District Com
missioners on the pr0positifa al securing
cheaper gas for the consar.1efsf was prae-
tically closed yesterday morning. and the
one thing that the hearing emphasized
was that Il always has been, and
always will be. in the absence CT a de-
tailed. specific statement. extremely diff
,ult TO get at the facts as 10 the real
cost of making gas in the District OF Co
'umbia. Citizens. fairly and honestly rep
resentative OF the District. were before
the Commissioners 10 make their pleas
for cheaper gas. Representatives OF the
Washington Gaslight Company were
there with their attorney, r r. Colds
borough. who has been heard from often
before in gliJ-ering. persuasive geaeraIi-
ties. He was ably coached by ". E
Hart, general manager for the company.
The one thing that was most eagerly
awaited, the statement asked for by
Commissioner West on Wednesday, de-
tailed statement Of receipts and expendi-
tures-was not forthcoming. because Mr.
Orme, the secretary and statlstician OF
the company. had been i'll. and was not
yet well enough TO attend TO business.
Dealing in the generalities. which have
already become public property through
the newspapers, Mr.. GOldsoorOugh as
serted that 75-cent gas meant confisca-
ton.
". Riley Deeblc, president of the
Georgetown Gas Company. which recent
" reduced the price Of gas in Georgetown
from S.e5 to 81. was present. but when
called upon for a statement declared that
he was there only as Il private citizen and
not in his official capacity.
Unable tn Get Facts.
Evan II. Tucker. president Of the North
east Washington Citizens Association.
testified that he had been unable to get
the facts; Z. W. Oyster. Of the Petworth
Citizens Association, had not been able
to get the facts, and J. H. Brinkman.
president of the Central Labor Union. de-
clared that while his union was in favor
Of 75-cent gas, he wanted to be sure that
IT would not result in cut In wages.
And so it was with w F. Gude. secre-
tary OF the Petworth Citizens Associa-
ton; with ". p Armstrong, Of the North
Washington Citizens Association: with
w. y Church. Of the South Washington
Citizens Association; with E J. +. Min
nix. Of the Anacostia Citizens Association.
and with \. F. Khan, Of the BrookIand
Citizens AssociatiOn-nOne OF them had
been able to ascertain the cost of making
gas. With but few exceptions. however.
these representatives were emphatic in
their Endorsement of the movement for
cheaper gas.
In response to questions from Commits
sioneTs Macfarland and West Mr. Colds
borough made the following statements:
That the par value OF the outstanding
stock is 100000; that the par value OF
the stock is $50 per share, and the market
value see per share; that the gross annual
receipts are sl.S00.O0o and the total ex-
penditures 81 10000. a total annual profit
of S5O0.GO0, and that the plant could not
be duplicated for SlO.0OO, OOo.
Plea Of COnfiscatfOn.
Notwithstanding this, Mr.. Goldsborough
asserted that the proposed reduction TO
80 cents per 1000 cubic feet would prac-
tically amount to a confscauon and a
denial to the property owners Of reason
able returns.
More than fifty citizens. representing
the Business Mems Association, the var
ious citizens associations, and the Cen
tral Labor Union, were in attendance.
The representatives Of these associs
tions which have rot already indorsed
the Madden bill explained theii delav bv
stating that they had not been able to