Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-05
COMMITTEE OF THE HOUSE

case IOT COuQfey s DeHcHt
If Mr.. Coudrey were examining an en-
gineer of a corporation in reference t
something in connection with another cor
pora ton, the fact that he was ar engineer
OF corporation would not r>essarilJ
bias his testimony in regard to the cor
poration in which he had no interest
| whatever, would it?
Mr.. Rothermel-But if the witness IL
personally interested in both characters
| of business, it seems to me
| Mr.. Peare-It would show his line OF
| thought
Mr.. MISUNDERSTANDING and 1 mus,
be able to stand cross-eXamination upon
that, of course
! Mr.. Pearre-And not rejecting upon
the credibiity of the witness. but simply
| upon the value and weight to be attached
! 10 his testimony.
| Mr.. Humphreys-Rut isn't it true that
the court in that case would try to find
| out about the credibility of the witness
| during the cross-exa mination; to see If
| he could make good?
Mr.. Pearre-Of course; and the court
would assume that the witnesses are
| honest.
| Mr.. Cary-But you are president of a
| gas company?
| MIR. Humphreys-Yes. sir.
| Mr.. Cary-As president of that gas
/ company, supposing your company should
| accumulate an amount of $5.OoO0OO which
you did not wish to spend for better
| ments, improvements, and forth, how
would you get rid of it; how would you
| divide 1t up?
MIR. Humphreys-Well, l could not tell
| you, because l have never had such a
| case as that, and 1 never expect to have
one.
! Mr.. Cary-Do you know whether or not
| the Washington Gas Light Company has
| any connection with the Rosslyn Gas
| Company?
| Mr.. Humphreys am not aware OF
| that; l don't know anything about 1t.
| Mr.. Goldsborough-I can answer that
question: 1t has not 1t could not pos
| sIbly have, in any way.
| Mr. umphreys-Continuing my answer
! take, for instance, the company in which
L was chief engineer and general super
| lntendent for many years-the United Gas
Improvement Company of Philadelphia
| owning probably. fifty different works in
different parts of the United States. My
| recollection is that when l started with
that company in 1885 they had a capital
/ of 81 O00,0J0 in bonds and $1,O0O,OO in
stocks. Today they have, l think, $780,
OG0,OO0 of capital. and not dollar Of 1t is
water. That $50.00O9dO has been furnished
| in part by direct contributions from stock
| holders, and by issuing new stock, and In
| part by capitalizng their earnings. For
| year or two they did not pay dividends;
then they paid 4. then 6 per cent, and
finally they paid 8 per cent. and for
years they have been paying that amount
| IS per cent.
MT. Pedrre-W nat company did you say
| that waSo
Mr. Humphreys-The United Gas I'M
provement Company of Philadelphia,
with works at Kansas City. Omaha Des
| Moines and many other places. Their
policy was. the managers being prudent
men. not to distribute all their earnings
| in dividends, which meant that as the
years went on they accumulated a sur
plus; but some of the surplus has since
rbeen represented by an issue of stock
Just under what legal form that is is
sued l am not for the moment prepared
to say. But l know that some stock has
been issued for surplus earnings which
were invested in plant There has never
| been any opportunity to distribute those
earnings in cash. because they needed
that surplus and more to take care of the
| extension of the plant, and that is the
| same with other companies in which i
| have been interested. 1t is the same in
our company in Buffalo, where we COM
! pete with 30-cent natural gas. We use
our very small surplus in making i'm
! provements.
Mr.. Pearre-How much do you receive
in Buffalo for your gas per 1000?
Mr. Humphreys-one dolIar-that is. we
furnish one-dollar Illuminating gas in
competition with 30-cent natural gas.
Mr.. Aiken-Can you tell us what the
average price for gas is all over the
United States
Mr.. Humphreys-In averaging that I'D |
don't know what it would come to. but l
can give you the prices in the different
cities. The true average could only be
found by taking the product of the
amount sold at each separate price and
dividing the totals of all those prod
ucts by the total amount sold by all the
companies
Mr.. Aiken-Take the large cities, such
as Chicago. Boston, Cleveland, New York,
and SO forth.
MIR. Humphreys-New York city is sell
ing gas for so cents per thousand; and
under the ruling of the United States Su-
preme Court. not final. you know, 1t
is making on that, on the actual amount
invested in the gas end of the business.
about per cent And l would like to
say upon a statement lately issued by
the public service commission of New
York No 1, to the effect that they are
earning much more, that their statement
is absolutely incorrect and l can prove 1t.
Mr.. Pearre-They claim to earn how
much?
Mr.. Humphreys-About per cent on
the actual investment in the gas business
Mr.. Cary-Mr. Humphreys, do you re-
member that the last time you appeared
before this committee ! made the asser-
| ton that the city Of Milwaukee furnished
gas at a price of from 30 to 50 cents to
the consumers?
Mr.. Humphreys remember that we
had some little talk about it.
Mr.. Cary-And Milwaukee is a city a
little larger than Washington, which
| hauls its coal from Buffalo, about Loo
miles or more, upon the lakes. while
Washington, | do not think, has to carry
| its coal that far Yet we are able to sell
gas in Milwaukee at price of 60 to ~
cents a thousand. according to the
amount used, after hauling the coal that
| great distance And they also return tC
YOU the cost of a meter If you come uI
| to the amount expected to be used by
one family. l had return the other day
of S1.20. And besides that, every six
months they give each and every man
who works for them 10 per cent of the
other presents at Christmas time.
Mr.. Goldsborough-Don't they use
/ coke oven gas there?
! Mr.. Cary-Lately the Semet -Solvay
Coke Company has made a connection
| with the Milwaukee Gas Company.
Mr.. Goldsborough-And hasn't that
| been done for several years?
| Mr.. Cary-Yes three or four years
but this price has been maintained for
/ a great many years; ten years. anyhow.
Mr.. Humphreys-The present price
! has been maintained ten years?
| Mr.. Cary-AbOuty six years, l should
| Judge
| Mr.. Humphreys cannot agree with
| you as to the Semet- Solvay Company,
| because l have statement before me.
manager of the Milwaukee Gaslight
| Company, Mr.. Glass, which is probably
! the most complete statement of gas
| prices that has ever been issued in
| the United States
| Mr.. Cary-What date is that?
! Mr.. Humphreys-1907. / was going
| to mention the date. The price in 1907