Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-13
Discourtesy Alleged by Dr..
Alexander c. Humphreys.
TESTIFIED AS AN EXPERT
Evidence Submitted at Inquiry by
House District Committee.
MEMBER SUGGESTS SUBSIDY
Insinuation Holly Resented by r.
II. Goldsborough, Representing
Washington Gas Light Company.

II have never been treated so dis
courteously by any body of men before
whom 1 have testified in all my long ex-
perience, as by the members of the House
committee on the District of Columbia.
I have never been so grossly insulted as
/ have been by the members, Of this
committee
This is the compliment that DR.. Alex
ander c. Humphreys, president Of the
Stevens Institute of Technology, presi-
dent of the Buffalo Gas Company and
gas engineer Of international reputation,
paid to the House District committee at
! the close Of the hearing last evening on
! the Coudrey resolution to prohibit the
Washington Gas Light Company from in
creasing its outstanding Indebtedness by
the issue Of certificates Of Indebtedness,
or anything of that sort. DR.. Humphreys
had been a witness for the Washington
Gas Light Company.
After the hearing was over DR.. Hum
phreys paid his respects in about the
same language, to Representatives Cary
of Wisconsin, Coudrey of Missouri and
Rothermel of Pennsylvania, individually.
1t looked for a minute-but just for
minute-as il there might be a lively
tion-Messrs. Cary. Coudrey and Rother-
mel-took the roast with great meekneSs.
They told DR.. Humphreys that they
hadn't meant to be discourteoua.
Just at the close of the nearing and
after the gas expert had told the COM
mittee collectively what he thought of
them Mr.. Cary walked up with out
stretched hand to say goodbye to DR.
Humphreys, who had announced that he
would leave town today. Cary murmured
something or other and then Dr. Hum
phreys put his hands behind his back
and declined to shake. Moreover, he told
IN q
had been insulting, discourteous and un-
fair, and specified few instances. Cary
walked away.
Two Witnesses Heard.
r. FL Goldsborough, director in the
Washington Gas Light Company and its
general counsel. and Sanford N. Whit
well, assistant secretary Of the concern,
were the witnesses at last evenings hear
ing, which began at o'clock and lasted
for two hours and a half. Mr.. Whitwell
appeared before the committee as re-
suit Of Mr.. Coudrey's insistence that an
officer Of the company be produced who
could testify of his own personal knowl-
edge concerning the financial affairs of
the concern.
This is what Mr.. Whitwell did. As
result of the figures he gave, the COM
mittee got tangled up on the proposition
Of the difference between earnings on In
vestment and earnings on capital stock.
Mr.. Whitwell's testimony showed that
the company had been paying dividends
of approximately 20 per cent on its capt.
tai stock for the past ten years. At the
request of Mr.. Coudrey, Mr.. Whitwell
promised to go back still further and tell
the committee at it's next hearing on the
gas resolution what had been earned and
paid during the period from 1SS6-the
year after that in which, as Mr.. Colds
borough admitted last night, the COM
had hllrnod-rn
1900. The figures from 1900 up to date
were submitted to the committee by Mr..
Whitweu last night.
AS soon as Mr.. Whitwell notifies the
committee that he has completed the
compilation OF the data asked for,
meeting will be called. the figures re-
viewed and Attorney GOldsborough for
the company and Attorney George c.
Hazelton. former corporation counsel of
the District and former member OF
Congress, who is urging the adoption of
the Coudrey resolution, will be allowed
one hour each for argument.
Suggestion Of Subsidy Resented.
There was another insinuation. made by
Representative Cary of Wisconsin last
Company inserts the verbatim reports of
testimony at these gas hearings in the
newspapers, to substitute them, as it were. |
, He didn't use that particular word but
suggested that the company did this to
2 soften" the newspapers and tone them
down.
Mr.. Goldsborough hotly resented this
statement an Insinuation both on the
! local newspapers and the gas company.
Oh said Mr.. Cary. Il suppose a cor
poration wouldn't insert advertisements
with that intent
This company has not done So" Mr.
GoldSborough replied.
MIR. Goldsborough explained that the
company had the verbatim stenographic
transcriptions published in order to give
the complete testimony at these hearings
to the public. This method had proved
very efficacious in giving the people a
better understanding OF what was going
on, he said, during the agitation follow
from the fumes of carbon monoxide a
deadly component of the water gas made
by the Washington Gas Light Company.
q year or so ago.
owing to the excellent results
achieved by this method at that time,
said Mr.. Goldsborough, he had sug-
gested to the company that the same
method of publishing advertise
ments in local papers the fun report
of the testimony at the hearings on
the Coudrey resolution be followed on
the present occasion. This had been
done. he declared, solely that the pub
lie might be taken into the confidence
of the gas company and might under
stand the situation.
AT the beginning or the hearing last
evening William r. Hart. general man
ager of the Washington Gas Light
Company. was called to the stand. He
explained that the title OF general
manager was misnomer. however;
that he knew nothing of the manufac-
ture of gas nor Of the financial affairs
OF the company, but was as a matter
Of fact, merely an outside superin-
tendent, having to do with the laying
Of mains and the like. So he was
excused.
Address by Mr.. Goldsborough.
Then Mr.. Goldsborough addressed the
committee. He said reflection had been
made by member Of the committee at a
previous hearing. which was embraced In
the question asked as to why the WASH
ington Gas Light Company came before
the District committee represented by an
outside expert. who testified as to the de-
tails OF its financial affairs. Confederation
had to come from without, Mr.. Goldsbor-
ough contended, and the expert was Sc
lected in order that he might look into