Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-02
DEMANDS FACTS
IN GAS SITUATION
Senate Desires to Know of
Steps Taken to Dissolve
District Companies.

The Senate today passed a resolution
calling upon the District Commissioners
to inform the Senate what steps had
been taken to bring about dissolution
Of the connection between the Washing
ton and Georgetown gaslight companies,
the Washington company for many years
having owned q majority of the stock of
the Georgetown company.
Under the appropriation act for the
District of Columbia for the present
fiscal year 1t is unlawful for any public
utility corporation in the District to own,
control or vote stock or bonds of any
other public utility corporation when
both are doing business in the District,
unless especially authorized by Congress
to do SO. Senator Jones Of Washington,
a member of the Senate District commit
tee, introduced the resolution
The law provides that the Washing
ton company shall not own or control
stock in the Georgetown company, and
I wish to know what steps have been
taken or are being taken to comply with
the law" said Senator Jones today
Provisions Of the Act.
The section Of the appropriation act
to which Senator Jones had reference
reads as follows:
THAT it shall be unlawful for any for
eign public utility corporation, or for
any foreign or local holding corporation.
or for any local street railroad corpora
tion gas corporation, electric corporation,
telephone corporation. telegraph corpora
ton, or any other local public utility cor
poration, directly or Indirectly, to own,
control. or hold or vote stock or bonds OF
any public utility corporation organized
under any general Incorporation law or
special act of the United States or au-
thOrized under any law of the United
States to do business in the District of
Columbia, except as heretofore or here
after expressly authorized by Congress:
and 1t shall be unlawful for any public
utility corporation organized or author
ized as aforesaid to sell or transfer any
portion of it's stock or bonds to any other
public utility corporation or holding cor
poration whatsoever. unless heretofore or
hereafter expressly authorized by Con-
gress so to do: and every contract, trans
fer, agreement to transfer, or assignment
by any said public utility corporation or
ganized or authorized as aforesaid of any
portion, of its stock or bonds without such
authority shall be utterly void and of no
effect.
Jurisdiction Is Vested.
THAT the Supreme Court Of the Dis
trict Of Columbia, on application OF the
District Of Columbia by its Commission
ers or attorney. or on application of the
United States by it's proper officer, or
on application of any shareholder In
terested in any such corporations. shall
have jurisdiction in equity to dissolve
any public utility corporation organized
under any general incorporation law or
special section Of the United States. or
authorized under any law OF the United
States to do business in the District Of
Columbia, for violation Of any OF the
provisions of this section or Of their
charters; and further. to require any
foreign public utility corporation, or
foreign or local holding corporation
which owns, holds, or controls, or which
shall hereafter own, hold or control any
such stock or bonds contrary to any Of
the provisions of this section, to sell or
from voting such stock or bonds: pro-
yided. that In case the allegations in any
bill filed in said court relate to the
ownership of stock or bonds of local
corporation by any foreign corporation.
then it must be shown to the satisfac-
tion Of the court that such ownership
includes at least 90 per centum of the
capital stock of the local corporation.
THAT the word foreign when used in
this section shall be construed to mean
foreign to the District of Columbia, and
the word local when used In this Sec
ton shall be construed to mean local
in the District Of Columbia"