The Washington times., 1908-01-21
Members of Congress
Must Understand State
n.ent to Be Filed in
February.
rCOnsumer Writes to The
Times, Telling of Mis-
treatment by the
Company.

The Washington and Georgetown Gas
Companies, composing the Gas Mo
ncpoly Of this city, are understood TO
have practically completed the annual
reports OF their operations for 1897,
which under the law are required to be
submitted TO Congress on or before Feb
Fuary /
II these reports. when laid before
Congress, are found to be drafted for
the especial purpose Of conceains and
misleading, as were the reports made in
December. there is going TO be trouble
sn Congress without delay.
Senator la Toilette, who secured an
Snsertion I'm the law requiring these con
Germs to make annual reports of thcir
business, and Congressman Madden.
who has taken a leading part I'D the
House fight for cheaper gas. are both
satisfied that the December reports OF
both gas companies did not comply with
the requirements Of the law. and that
the companies have no intention OF
making ineligible reports.
Must Obey the Law.
They are waiting to see what viii be
presented in the February report, and II
It proves as unsatisfactory and as far
from compliance with the intent az the
law as did the report of December 4.
there viii be prompt steps 10 compel
obedience 10 the law.
The Times submitted the December
report Of the washington Gas Light
Company 10 two experts in municipal
accounting systems. and asked them IL
they could get from IL any satisfactory
idea Of the condition of the business o.
finances Of the concerns. The text OF
the law, passed a year ago, under which
the reports were made, was submitted
along with the copies OF the reports,
and the experts were asked II ~ their
opinion the reports represented substan-
tial compliance with the law also.
whether, If these reports met The laws
requirement. the law could De regarded
as OF any use
Reports Displeasing.
After examining the law and the re-
ports. both these experts expressed the
opinion that the reports did not comply
with the law. They pointed out that
She December reports, which are sup
posed to cover the business for the year
as06 as well s the conditions Of the
accounts at that time would permit,
might be incomplete and unsatisfactory
ny reason of the unsatisfactory book
keeping process employed. But for the
year 1897, on which a report is due not
later than February ], 1868, the cOmpa-
nies had notice 10 adjust their ac-
counting methods so that they could
comply with the new law. and failure
at that time 10 make reports which viii
set forth, In intelligent and intelli-
gible form. the matters demanded by
the law, will be regarded by the friends
of the report law as ineXcusable.
Representative Madden declared his
purpose TO take steps for some inves-
Tigation OF the Gas MOnopOlys failure
10 make report IS required by the
law. Senator la Toilette took the same
position, saying that the law was m
tended TO produce information. not to
be juggled with, and that II Il was rot
Cbeyed steps wOUld be taken to ascer-
tain whether there was power 10 en-
force obedience
At present matters are in abeyance,
awaiting the February report If when
II IS sent 10 Congress it proves unsat-
1sfactOry and falls 10 comply with the
intent Of the law, then it is probable
that resolutions VIII be presented in
Congress, directing the proper authorI-
ties to start legal proceedings to en-
force the act.
The reports which were made in De-
Cember caused no surprise 10 people
familiar with the Gas MClOpoly's con-
tempt for law and legal procedure.
Nobody expected that. without being
forced 10 do 50, the Gas Monopoly would
make ar honest ard Understandable pre-
sentatlon or its business. so that the
public might realize just what its con-
dition IS.
The point is that there are people who
now propose TO see that even the Gas
monopoly obels the laws: and there
VIII be trouble, prompt and pointed, If