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

MS mastery of the subject, and his I'M
| Partially in calculating it, all of which
! nave been SO Enthusiastically displayed in
the course of his two days testimony
| before this committee.
But ,..is is not all On page So of the
! same report l find Mr.. Edward Beemis,
who is unquestionably one of the ablest
| and best known of the so-caled anti-gas
experts, qualifying DIR. Humphreys as fol-
| lows:
| | accept the standard established by
! Alexander c. Humphreys the best auth
ority know of In the gas world.
| But If the committee please. it has
never been my purpose to rest our case
upon the testimony of DR.. Humphreys
alone. The American Audit Company has
verified his report, and there is abundance
OF testimony, which will be produced
should you think it necessary, to confirm
his statements
I have only to add that 1 am inclined
to think you will not want any array of
evidence to the actual amount paid in
by the stockholders when you come to
realize the fact that l conceded at the
first hearing, on behalf of the company,
that a large part of the present capitali-
! nentiy invested in plant. and IL is difficult
| to understand why the case should be
| delayed by efforts to prove what the
companies willing for the sake of the
argument to concede. 1t may serve, how
ever, to narrow the controversy to the
real points at issue further to say that
| in SO far as the reasonableness OF the
rates are concerned We could also safely
admit for the sake of argument that the
stockholders of the companies never at
any time put a dollar of their own money
into the plant, or that in point of fact
the company does not and never has
owned any part of the property employ
ed in the conduct of its business. it being
well settled law that the sole criterion in
rate case is the value of the property
employed, irrespective of its ownership
or the manner in which title to. it was
acquired.
| The second animadversion to which beg
leave to be permitted now TO respond
was embodied in question put to the
witness upon the stand CDR. Humphreys
| to- this effect: why is it that the COM
panies here on trial are so extensively adj
vertising this testimony
| This question plainly deserves an equally
plain answer.
! 1t is a matter of common knowledge
Mr.. Chairman. that up to the time of
i the passage of the act requiring the
| lighting companies to make annual state
mentS to Congress the companies / have
the honor to represent here We're more or
less severely criticised, from time to time.
| because of their failure to take the public
into their confidence The inquiry was
| city-wide-why are the people kept in
Ignorance of the merits of matters and
| things in which they are so vitality in
terested? Personally. / was very glad
| indeed when Congress thought proper to
accurately define what it was that it de-
sired or required to be annually made
known to all concerned in the premises.
I was gratified, because I believed then,
as now. that it would lead to a better
understanding between the companies and
| the people, as we'll as between the COM
panies and the great committees who are
charged with their legal regulation. So
when a question arose las it did year
ago. of vital interest to the public, of
which the Commissioners thought it nee
eSsary to officially take cognizance the
companies determined that 1T would be
to their interest and to the public interest
(Which in the last analysis are one) to
have the proceedings fairly reported, at
the companys expense, in the daily news
papers of Washington. that not only
those who We're present at the sessions
always a limited numbert, but everybody
else in the city. might thoroughly under
stand the merits of the case-just what
it was the committee proposed to do. why
1t proposed to do it. and how 1t was to be
done The question that was then under
consideration was the proprety of pro-
hibiting the gas companies from making
water gas or other gas containing more
than 10 per cent OF what is KNOWN DIS
carbon mOnO3ide.
The Washington Gas Light Company
exerted itself upon that occasion to bring
to this city gentlemen eminently dlstin-
guished as gas engineers to testify before
the committee as to the Illuminating
value of water gas relative to coal gas,
as TO the injurious character of monoxide
(Which water gas invariably carries; as
to the relative merits of water gas and
coal gas: and as to the proper methods
of safeguarding the public from whatever
danger there might be in the use of the
mixed gas the company was then making.
Perhaps I should further say, in justice
to the company, that it took the position,
then now, that 1t was willing. as 1t
always had been willing at all times in its
previous history. to abide by the deci-
& ,{<vtxA \,
and to Immediately proceed. If Congress
thought it wise to do SO. to the erection
of a modern coal gas plant, TO comply
with It's wishes
company in publishing that testimony
(Which as in this case necessarily in
wolved a very considerable outlay was
so eminently satisfactory to our consum-
ers and the people generally; was SO OBJ
viously taken by them as an evidence of
good faith on our part in the disposition
we professed to do whatever ought to be
done for their protection. that 1t occurred
to me that 1t would be the part of Wis
dom in this case also to take them into
our confidence. that they might be adj
vised by permanent record which they
could study at their firesides. to clearly
understand just what. it was and is that
the companies have to say to the COM
mittee, and through the month of the
press TO them. in regard to the charges
which have been more or less industri-
d
dation of this bill.
Believing that we shall be able to prove
in the course Of this investigation, to your
satisfaction and to that of the public
, that the company's charges are reason
able, that its profits are not only not I'M
usual, but much less than those common
ly enjoyed by similar concerns; believing
that we shall be able to show you con-
clusivey that it has rendered good ser
vice and Is In every way worthy and
we'll qualified to be accepted and received
as faithful steward. I have systematic
ally undertaken to give the widest pub
licity possible in the premises to the pro-
ceedings in question, l cheerfully take
the responsibility involved. in full assur-
ance that the committee and the public,
when the matter is understood, will APP
preciate and approve of this policy.
The Chairman-Are you ready to be
questioned now?
Mr.. Goldsborough-I am always ready,
sir.
Mr.. Coudrey-As / stated the last time
| speaking for myself one Of the nine
teen members of the committee, of course
you have read the resolution and you
know what 1t is. Instead of having a
| doctor first and then the undertaken, we
| have the undertaken first and. then the
doctor. not wishing to cast any refec-
Ions on DIR. Humphreys. What we want
| to get at is how to prevent this. instead
| is over. We want to know, in order to
pass on this resolution intelligently.
whether the property is making excessive
| profits. Now, you take the resolution
which simply says that it prohibits you
1 from doing certain things q there any