Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-13

stance, you speak about other corpora
tions. So far AS that is concerned, speak
ing for myself, as long as ] am MEM
Der of this committee l will feel it my
duty to do anything l properly can--
Mr.. Go!dsborough-1 am sure of that.
Mr.. Coudrey tcontinuing,-to protect the
people of the District in so far as my
power lies to see that they get what is
due them from any corporation. On the
other hand we are here for the purpose
of doing what is right by the corpora
tions What We want to do first. Is to
find out whether this resolution ought to
pass or not and then we will take up the
other corporations That is my intention.
Speaking to this resolution, DR.. Humph-
reys-there is none of us, who as | have
said before, underestimate his ability
gave us a great deal of information in
fact / learned more about the gas bust
ness in the last two weeks than l have
In all my life before. but DIR. Humphreys
did not get down to the resolution, as L
understand 1T, and his remarks were
therefore not relevant in my opinion.
Mr.. Goldsborough-I want to say to
you, gentlemen, that of course 1 APP
preciate the fact that YOU are here with
the utmost integrity and good faith, seek
ing to hold the scales fairly between the
company and the people. l do not ques-
ton It for a moment. but at the same
time we are here, put upon our defense
by general Indictment which contains.
as said In the opening, no counts. but
winch is supposed 10 DE ueleHSlptS upon
the ground that the company has not
dealt fairly with the people: that its
charges are excessive and that its profits
are unusual, if not abnormal.
Now. it is absolutely essential for us. or
was essential for us. as l conceived 1t. to
disabuse your minds of that impression
I'm order to get fairly down to the real
merits of the case.
Mr.. Coudrey-I want to interrupt YOU
right there. The resolution was intro
duced in good faith by myself.
Mr.. Colds bOrough--I fully appreciate
| that
Mfr. Coudrey-The fact that DR.. Hum
phreys did not give the information
which we wanted makes me believe that
the gas company has made abnormal
profits That was the only thing the
doctor did not seem to know. and | do
not believe he went into that question be-
cause I think he is a. gas expert.
think he is good one. If 1 needed one
I would send for him right now and en-
plOv him. but when it came down to the
| books Of the comany as to the amount of
| money that is in the business or has
been put in and how much has been
earned, the doctor could not answer
those questions and 1 think the only
! person to answer those questions is some
body who is intimately connected with
the corporation.
Mr. Goldsborough-If the committee
please. the first step In this case is the
company's statement. and that Is here In
evidence as the foundation of the COM
pany's defense. Prima facie it is a COM
plete defense. The company states the
value of its property. which Is the only
thing that can be legally considered when
you come to estimate the measure of the
returns which the company is entitled to
earn and distribute. Further, there is In
evidence an unchallenged. unimpeached
statement of the actual amount of the
| earnings of the company for the past
,k@,~ ~vo1r
ers one year. We bring DR.. Humphreys
here because he Is competent to say
whether the earnings that our statement
discloses are truly stated. whether they
are correctly computed and whether the
estimates and valuations therein con-
tanned are reasonable and proper, and
| that is verification Now, he is brought
here to satisfy your minds as to these
things. This is wide subject. 1t has
many ramificat tons. many of the commit.
tee have only. general knowledge of It.
| and very meager knowledge at that and
it seemed to be necessary that the subject
should be illuminated by the testimony
! of ain engineer of the highest reputation
| we could find.
| When l come to argue the case ] think
| I can satisfy the committee beyond any
doubt whatever that the rates charged
| are reasonable, that gas instead OF being
expensive In the District Of Columbia is
really the cheapest thing in the mar
ket: that it is the only necessary of
life that has been constantly going down
| in price for fifty years, while everything
else has been advancing. and that 1t is
| even relatively cheaper here than water.
There is nothing in the condition Of the
company in it's treatment of the people
| in the charges that have been brought
against it to justify its being penalized
by anybody. Whatever its rights are.
| they are the rights which are guaran-
teed to 1t by the Constitution of the
United States, and I have any number
of authorities
Mr.. CONVERSATIONAL you be better sat
isfed II this resolution applied to all