The Washington times., 1910-04-09
Wants Officers of Company
to Appear and Give
Testimony.
LITTLE OBTAINED
FROM THE EXPERTS"
Adjournment Taken Till Tuesday.
When Witnesses MAY
Appear.

Who is the Washington Gas Light
/ Company. who are its officers. and Why
don't they appear before the Committee
/ on District OF Columbia and tell It about
the business?
That IS what ths House District Cor-
mittee wants 10 know. It made its a.
titude very plain at the session las.
night
For three or four sessions. Alexander
c Humphreys Buffalo gas expert and
. r. II GOIdsborOugh. counsel for the gas
/ company, have been occupying the tine
I OF the committee, telling It their gen
eral views about gas. The committee
+ has been growing more and more exaS-
perated- because % the inpossibflity OF
getting at the specific facts about the
Washington companies.
The disafection OF the committee
I came 10 climax at the session last
night. when Messrs. Humphreys and
( Goldsborough were sharply asked who
f were the executive officers OF the gas
/ companies. and why they didn't come
/ and tell what was wanted about tha
/ business
Information Demanded.
I demand 10 know said Represent
| ative Coudrey, who are the officers OF
| these companies Who are the president
+ general manager treasurer. snd 81 o17
They seem TO be the people We want 20
tax to.
! Mr. Humphreys. ~Eo has been giving
/ expert Information, admitted that he
+ couldn't name all the officers. and the
committee was sstoUnded- He finally
gave the names Of some OF the officers.
I volunteering that he had been through
some Of the accounts with some Of the
/ accounting officers
why did the officers OF the company
nede your help 10 get at the facts n
/ their own bOuks2" demanded Nj Coud-
rey-
/ Mr. Humphreys modestIy admitted
l that he guessed il was because the
! company thought he could make The
/ necessary statements before the com
nittee more clearly than the officers
/ could 90 it
4 Then the statement you are making
/ 10 Us IS mere hearsay. is it2'' demanded
/ Representative Rothermel- IT that is
the case. as Il wouldn't be admissible
/ in any court I object 10 Il being re-
t ceived. insist that the proper officers
/ Of. the company come here and make
the statements that the committee
needs, on the authority Of the books
themselves"
Hearsay Evidence Barred
Mr Humphreys had offered TO the
committee a statement which he had
prepared with the assistance OF the
secretary Of the company, showing the
receipts Of the company during the last
ten years This was rejected BY the
committee. and he was cut OF, on the
ground that II was mere hearsay- and
mot representative Of the official or PER
tsonal knowledge OF Mr.. Humphreys
Indications now are that the commit
tee will summon the officers OF the com
ipanies and insist on knowing the inside
/ Of gas affairs. To this end the hearing
ladjourned Till next Tuesday evening
II was pIzin that the statement OF AZ
} Humphreys was entirely unsatisfactory,
the committee considering that such a
presentation Of vital matters looked toe
much like trifing with IT.
| Following this accident, George G
Il lHazelton appeared 10 make a legal
larguuent in behalf Of the COUdTey bill,
which proposes TO prohibit the company
q
lconsent Of Congress Mr. Hazelton said
lhe represented the Washington Times
land the consumers Of gas
/ This resolution Is within the lesisla-
tive power Of Congress, said Mr- Haz-
elton. 1T only prohibits the gas com
pany from doing what Il has no right
10 do. and the exception in the reSoiu-
ton permitting II to issue bonds 10
lpav for needed improvements ana eSten-
sions. permits just What the company
has right TO 90 under the law and the
decisions.
Works Paid for by Earnings
This Is an honest resolution, and v-in
serve an honest purpose Mr.. HazeltOn
reviewed the stock issues OF the Wash
linston Gas Light Company from the or
ganic act in ls4S down to the act of 1895
He showed that SC far as the history
OF the company IS concerned. there is
nothing to show that outside oe the
original Limitation Of $4,000 contained
in the act of 1S4S. anything had ever
been paid into the treasury on capital
, account. He charged Jhat the works
had been paid from the earnings OF the
company, representing surplus coilected
from consumers
.s-Tsbere is no doubt he said, that OF
/ tho fi~sf $4,000. $500 was subscribed
! and paid in The remaining 1850 was
; / oiven as a bonus to subscribers IhaL
/ only lives, however, In trao4Iion ana
hesrsav It is evidently true, because
that vas the money that set tne infant
industry in notion.
COZ the first half million, under the
! acts Of 1s52. 1S55. and 1871. all evidence
Las been destroyed by the sale and de-
second half Million Under the act or
1SsF which made I'D the hrSr million OF
; stock. vas not paid IN
? The million authorized under the act
al