The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1912-03-09
AROUSED
IN THE SENATE BY
UTILITIES MEASURE
Gallinger and Works Clash
Frequently Over Bill
for District.

A storm of discussion has been aroused
n the Senate over the Gallinger public
utilities bill. The measure has encoun-
tered breakers of a serious sort and
numerous Senators arc finding loop
holes in it through which the public
utilities corporations of the District
will be able, as they believe, to creep.
l'csDite the fact that several hours of
discussion were devoted to the bill yes
tCrdaY afternoon, it was not disposed Of,
and when the Senate meets this after
noon at o'clock it VIII be taken up
once more for consideration, after the
routine business.
Facts of surprising nature were
brought out by such discussion as the
bill already has had. One Of them is
that the bill Is not the measure which
the Corporation Counsel originally
framed under the Commissioners.
Another is that the bill as it now stands,
was advised by the managers of leading
prbl!c service corporations In the Dis
tr!Ct
Discussion Spirited.
Eoth these facts were brought to
light by senator Works of California,
who is opposing many features of the
pending bill. and trying to get the SEN
a 20 a.
ton Counsel drafted in the first place.
The discussion Yesterday afternoon
was spirited, and marked by not a little
bitter feeling. Not only did Senator
| Works oppose the pending bill, but
! Senator Reed of Missouri and Senator
| Pomerene of Ohio criticised sharply
| certain of its features. Senators Cum
| minis of Iowa and Senator Hoke Smith
Of Georgia, MARITIME, Bristow and Lea
also eyinced a keen interest in what
i was going on
| Senators Gallinger and Works clashed
ON questions of veracity in the course of
| the discussion. Senator Works said he
", not in the District Committee when
| the final vote was taken in the bill.
1his Senator Gallinger fatty denied.
The two collided also over the question
w..ether the Corporation Counsel had
| Endorsed the present bill.
Works Statement.
Senator Works said:
LAS the Senator ! m New Hampshire
has several times said that the Corpora
ton Counsel consented to this and con-
scented to that, ad that he and a men,
| Der of the District commission were
present and consented to these things, l
think l am free 10 say that the Cor
poTation Counsel told me in express
terms that he was not satisfied with the
omissions in the bill, and that a MEM
Der of the District commission, who was
present at that time. told me exactly
the same thing-that there were a num-
Der of things he protested against
Senator Gallinger denied all knowledge
of anything of the sort happening.
Touching the Viseing of the bill by
the public service corporations, Senator
Works at one time pointedly asked who
were present and took part in the con-
ference at the time Senator Gallinger
said the Commissioners consented to
the changes which have been made.
The Commissioners were present, or
the Engineer Commissioner, who rep
resented them, was present." said Sem
atOr GallinEer.
Corporations Consulted.
, Was anybody present representing
the utility corporations? asked Sena-
tor Works.
Yes" said Senator Gallinger.
what corporal tons" asked Senator
Works.
We'll, Mr.. President" said Senator
Gallinger, Il am not going to be inter
rogatcd by the Senator from California.
| did consult the utility corporations.
think they are entitled to consideration.
The Senator from California may hold
tons were consulted. Mr.. Hamilton,
, on the part of the Capital Traction
, Company, was present; Mr.. King was
present a few moments on the part OF
/ the Washington Railway and Electric
, Company: and Mr.. GOldsborOugh was
pre- sent on the part of the Washington
, Gas Light Company. They were invited
, by me: they were consulted"
, He added that the public service cor
pOratiOn representatives Gad not OBJ
jected to a public utilities bill. Sena-
tor Gallinger also took exceptions Ia
statements of Senator Works that he
had not had opportunity to make his
| objections to the pending bill in he
Senate District Committee.
| The bill which Senator Works IS
= urging is practically the same as the
| Oldfeld bill in the House. Among the
provisions in the pending bill to which
Senator Works and other Senators are
Directing is one which will permit one
public service corporation to hold the
, bonds in another. This will enable II
to dominate the other corporation, as
Senator Works emphasized.
Termed Inadequate.
The failure of the bill to regula Il
\ and control the issuance of stock, tc
! deal properly with valuation, witt
wages, and with investigations relative
to any other question than fixing rates
were among the things condemned By
Senator Works
e He held the prOviso limiting the per
a manent use of the tracks OF one stree
= railway company by another to only
n $500 feet was inadequate.
Senator Pomerene in a sharp speech
: said the bill was Inadequate as to regu
a lation of the issue of stocks and bonds
+ Senator Reed criticised the failure OF the
e bill to limit properly the operations o.
: the public service corporations.
r