Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-11-01

ing in the name of individuals and re-
quested that new certificate should be
issued to this defendant in it's own name,
according to the true fact of their own
ership; and the said Georgetown Gas
Light Company accepted the surrender of
the said shares complied with the request
Of this defendant in that regard, issued to
It in its own name certificate for the
said $3.50 shares, for a number of years
paid to this defendant the dividends due
to 1t as the holder thereof. and in it's an
nual reports thereafter, in compliance
with law. has reported the fact that this
defendant was the owner of the said
shares to Congress. which body, with full
knowledge thereof, has annually there
after provided by law for public lighting
services to be rendered to the government
OF the United States, and to the Dis
trict Of Columbia, by this defendant
and by the Georgetown Gas Light Com
pany; has since amended the charter of
this defendant increasing the member
ship of it's board of directors, and has in
other respects recognized, approved and
authorized the continued corporate ex-
istence of both the said gaslight COM
panies and the exercise of their corporate
powers, by reason whereof. as this de-
fendant Is advised and believes. and
therefore AYERS, its ownership of the said
shares has been by legislative enactment
acquiesced in and impliedly ratified and
approved. with like effect as If expressly
authorized, and this defendant has there
upon continued to perform it's corporate
functions, to extend large sums of money
In increasing it's plant and otherwise
qualifying itself to perform the public
lighting service so authorized and con-
tracted for under the acts of Congress,
and has issued it's obligations aggregating
several millions of dollars, for the purpose
Of obtaining the money necessary SO to
carry on it's functions and to perform the
public duties which it was invited and
called upon by Congress to perform, which
obligations were accepted and the moneys
represented thereby advanced by many
persons for the purposes aforesaid"
In answer to the discovery prayer of
the bill of the District of Columbia, the
Washington company admits it also
company in addition to the shalRs of
stock. The answer explains thattthe
Washington company is the owner of
certificates of Indebtedness of the
Georgetown Gas Light Company of the
par value of S13c,313.
Certificates Not Questioned.
AYERS is not the subject of legal ex-
ception or objection by the complainant,
or in any respect contrary to law.
In conclusion the Washington company
declares that it has committed no act
in violation of the act of March 4, 1913.
set out in paragraph 1 of the bill. and
that section 62O of the code of laws for
the District Of Columbia. which is simply
a re-enactment of section so of the Re
vised Statutes of the District of Colum-
b.a, relates exclusively to corporations
organized under the general incorpora-
ton laws of the District of Columbia
and is without pertinence or relevancy
to this defendant The code section
mentioned forbids any corporation to use
its funds in the purchase of stock of an
other corporation.
Attorneys Joseph j. Darlington and
Benjamin S. Minor represent the COM
pany.