The Washington times., 1908-03-25
Officials Of District and
Citizens Plead Peoples
Cause Before House
Committee.
Sims Suggests That Price
Be Lowered to Public
and Permit Capital
to Soar.

~ OOdt.
Repeal by Congress OF the capital in
hatiCn clause OF the gas mOnopolys
charter was advocated today in telling
terms before the House District Com
mittse uy officials Of the District gov
ernment aud representatives Of citizens
associations.
The repeal was asked on the ground
that. without II. there viii come a time
in the near future when Il wall be I'M
possible for Congress to reduce the price
OF gas to consumers.
Those who asked this remedial legis-
iation in behalf OF the District and the
Districts people were;
Henry 4. F. Macfarland. president OF
tile Board OF District Commissioners.
+. II. Thomas. Corporation Counsel
Tor the District.
Fred ColdFen, OF the executive COM
/ mittee OF the East Washington Citizens
Evan II. Tucker. president OF the
Northeast Washington Citizens AssO-
citation.
Monopoly Presents Excuse.
". +. Hart, representing the Gas
Monopoly. said Attorney Goldsborough
present 90 put up the compsnys argu-
ment against the repeal Of the imitation
clause. Members Of the committee
evinced considerable annoyance that
the company found H. impossible 70
have any one Of its numerous attorneys
present, and expressed chargin at the
delay Of the monopoly in getting its
argument before them.
Mr. Macfarland pointed out that the
Commi ssloners favor In an unqualified
manner the repeal of the imitation clause
because. once the monopoly is allowed
% initiate it's capital Congress might
not be able 10 lower the price os gas
being prevented by the theory that the
company must be allowed TO pay ''rea-
sonabIe returns on investments TO its
shareholders.
Corporation Counsel Thomas elabOT-
ated this argument. and voiced the
necessity Of repeating the clause right
away If the United states Supreme
Court decided that the clause IS con-
stitutional. he said, and the company
gets out the additional stock. then Con-
gress would have no right 10 repeal It.
Such action would then be too late.
Sims Significant Question.
llflTanK
Sims Of Tennessee asked the following
significant question:
What would you say, Mr.. Thomas. to
a proposition TO reduce the price OF gas
to 90 cents. or any reasonable figure and
allow the company to increase its stock
10 cover the outstanding certificates Of
Indebtedness and any new extensions Il /
may make?"
before answering that" replied Air
Thomas Il would have to know
whether the certificates represent any
real Indebtedness, what they do repre-
sent, or whether they are merely ftc-
titious"
Sims Tired of Delay.
At the beginning Of the hearing Man
aeer William H. Hart. of the gas COM
pany, explained the absence Of the COM
pany's attorney. R Ross Perry, on the
ground Of illness. Asked when Mr
Perry could appear. he said possibly
within two weeks.
You have no douh- noticed, Mr..
Hart" said Mr. Sims, Of the commit
tee, when suggestion Of adjournment
was made. that we have been scored
by the newspapers for not doing some
thing You can appreciate, therefore,
what another delay OF two weeks would
mean"
the hearing, Corporation Counsel
Thomas being given the privilege o.
appearing before the committee again
and replying to the arguments of the
gas company when its attorney ap-
Macfarland Speaks.
Commissioner Macfarland addressed
the committee briefly on the proposed
repeal of section five, leaving the main
-. l. m
I'VE strongly recommend, as we have
in the past" said the Commissioner,
the repeal OF section of the act OF
June 8. 1896 IS provided for in House
bill No 1873. We take this action on
the adEice Of the corporation counsel, !
begun first by the Georgetown Gas
Light Company and next by the Wash
ingtOn Gas Light Company, apparently /
with the intent of increasing the cap
ital stock OF these corporations after
having the courts set valuation upon
their plants.
I'VE also take this action as the largest
consumers Of gas in the District. hay
something like S95,0o0 worth Of gas per
annum, and further on behalf OF the
consumers generally"
Favor Repeal of Act.
U1,on being questioned by Representa-
tive Campbell, Mr.. Macfarland said the
Commissioners favored the repeal OF
the entire act rather than a suspension
Of the proceedings begun before the
courts under il.
The resolution to suspend the act. he
said had been introduced early in the
session, but as the time was now grow
ing short. he was OF the opinion that
the public interests would best be sub
served by the repeal of the act, making
imitation Of the gas Eompanys stock
impossible.
Corporation Counsel Thomas opened
CContinued on Eleventh Page.)