Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-08
Representative Sims Explains
Measure to the House.
LACK OF INTEREST SHOWN
Only Forty Left in the Hall, Few
Paying Any Attention.
MANY BILLS ON THE CALENDAR
Apparently Little Prospect Of Their
Being Called Up for Action
by Chairman Smith.

This was District day in the House OF
| Representatives. A couple Of dozen bills
have accumulated on the calendar since
last District day two weeks ago, some OF
them House measures supported by the
District committee at the last two meet
ings and others local measures which
have been passed by the Senate and sen,
to the House for action. From the way
in which the District day started out
however, 1t does not look as IL Chairman
Smith of the District committee would
have chance to call up many of them.
| The first bill called up by Chairman
Smith was Senate 500, authorizing the
Washington Market Company to build
an overhead track across 18th street from
| square 300 to square 1913. to facilitate
manufacture. Representatives Gaines OF
| Tennessee and Madden of Illinois asked
! some questions about the bill. and then
Representative Sims of Tennessee. senior
democratic member Of the House District
committee, obtained the floor and had
read by the clerk in his own time the gas
bill which he introduced last week. and
which Is In the nature Of a consolidation
OF the various measures relating to the
gas supply Of the District Of Columbia
which have been introduced in the Sixth
eth Congress-. including the repeal OF the
stock-inf1ation clause Of the gas act. the
reduction in the price Of gas to 80 cents
and appraisement of the tangible property
OF the Washington and Georgetown Gas
Light companies, exclusive of franchise
and good will.
Little Interest Manifested.
Although Senate 542o was still before
the House, Mr.. Sims used his time on
this measure Tor the purpose Of making
q IF ho
ton in the District of Columbia. Mem
bers of the House manifested their inter
est in this proposition, as they usually
manifest their interest on District days,
by leaving the chamber in droves, until
there were only about forty of them left.
most of these apparently not paying any
attention to the subject-matter of Mr.
Sims remarks. although Chairman Smith
of the District committee just before Mr..
Sims began to speak had called the atten-
ton of his colleagues-the chamber then
being crowded-to the Importance of the
consideration.
Sims Serves Notice.
Mr.. Sims served notice that at the first
opportunity he would ask for the dis
charge of the District committee of the
House from further consideration of the
monoxide gas bill and would move that
his bill. consolidating the various propo-
sitions. be taken up for immediate con-
| sideration. Mr.. Sims said that the Sem
ate was showing a disposition to let the
gas question alone. and he believed that
this was the result of the fact that no
gas bill consolidating the various ques-
| lions of current and future Importance
| had been prepared. His bill was intended
to meet just this condition.
He objected TO further hearings on the
monoxide gas bill, suggesting that no mat
| ter how many additional experts were
called to testify before the District COM
| mittee, their testimony would be simply
laccumulative.
He took issue with the statement of one
gas expert that it would cost the local
companies from 100000 to $10.0O0,OOO
the existing mixed gas plant to plant
for the manufacture of straight coal gas.