Evening star., 1912-11-10
Washington-virginia Railway
Approves Merger Plan.
EARLY CHANGE PROBABLE
Stockholders Expected to Give As
sent to Proposition.
PROPERTY TO BE IMPROVED
Double Trackage in View From
Ballston, Va, in Direction of
Falls Church.

Immediate Improvement of the property
of the Washington-Vi Virginia Railway
Company, including the doub'e-tracking
OF considerable po. ton OF the COM
pany's lines and construction of new sta
tions. is to follow the decision reached
by the directors yesterday to have the
railway concern amalgamate with tho
Washington Utilities Company. This
statement was officially announced last
night.
According to Gardiner l.. Boothe one
of the organizers of the holding corpora
ton and director in the railway company,
an order has already been placed for dou-
BILE tracking the line from Ballston n the
direction of Falls Church. This work. it
is expected. will be commenced before
Christmas. 1t is planned to have even
tualiy a complete doub,e-track system
from Washington to Vienna.
a new station is TO be constructed at
Arlington Junction. while the freight sta
tion in Alexandria Is to be abandoned.
Mr.. oBothe announced, and new one Will
be erected on a site in the ou skirts OF
the city. In addition. he said plans have
been made for considerable street i'm
provemenr work in Alexandria.
Other Changes Contemplated.
he improvements ut'clut'u on are 10 be
undertaken in the immediate future.
cording to Mr.. Boothe. Other changes
designed TO increase the efficiency OF the
service rendered by the company are in
contemplation. he said.
Now that the directors of the latter
concern have voted in favor of the pro-
ject, no hitch is expected in the carrying
out of the plans for merging the Wash
ington Utilities Company, capitalized al
$5o.000,0O0. and with an authorized bond
issue of sl00ooD.000. and the Washington
Virginia Railway Company, whose out
standing securities amount to sl,n00,pe
in preferred stock and S1,360.O00 of COM
mon stock.
The consolidation plan was considered
at a directors meeting held yesterday
| morning and at another conference later
in the day. 1t is understood that the de-
cisiOn reached was unanimous.
Basis Not Made Public.
The basis on which the stock OF the
| railway company will be traded in for the
| securities of the Washington Utilities
Company is a matter concerning which
the public probably will learn nothing
until the Virginia corporation commission
has been asked to approve the merger. as
the promoters of the scheme will not dis
cuss this phase of the negotiations.
| II is announced that the stockholders of
the Washington-Virginia company will be
called together within two weeks to act
| on the recommendation of the directors.
There is believed to be little doubt that
| their action will be confirmatory 1t Is
said, however. that the stockholders may
be presented with an alternative PROPOSE
tion concerning the method by which the
securities of the company may be traded
in for those of the larger corporation.
According to Mr.. Boothe. an effort will
be made to have the merger application
ready for presentation to the Virginia
corporation commission within a month.
II the application is approved considera-
tion then will be given, ii is announced.
to the proposed taking over by the cor
pOration of the Braddock Light and Pow
er Company, Virginia corporation op-
Grating in Alexandria county.
Might Consider Proposition.
Mr.. Boothe stated last night that
merger of the Washington Utilities Com
pany and the Braddock Light and Power
Company is not contemplated. but he
said the utilities concern, acting as u
holding company, might consider propo-
sition to take over the smaller corpora
ton.
There is little likelihood, he said. of the
Washington Utilities Company acquiring
the Arlington Electric Company, which
also operates in Alexandria county and
| has been mentioned in connection with
| the merger plans.