Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-09-16
Star Bureau.
Metropolitan National Bank Bldg,
WASHINGTON, sept, 10.


| metropolitan National Bank Bldg.
WASHINGTON, sept. 10.
There are two gas companies in the
District of Columbia One is the
Georgetown Gas Company which sup
plies that section OF the city which
was the old port of Georgetown. The
other. the Washington Gas Light
Company, supplies the rest of the city
In Georgetown consumers pay dol
lar a thousand feet for gas. In other
parts of the city. supplied by the
larger company, the rate for gas is
eighty-five cents thousand feet.
The Washington Gas Light Com
pany owns the Georgetown Gas Com
pany, or. rather, the same men own
the bulk of the stocks and bonds and
control both companies. But when a
public utilities commission took up
the question of gas rates here a few
years ago it was decided that the
people in the old part of the city were
not entitled to as low a price as the
consumers elsewhere in the capital.
In order to arrive at this profound
judgment, the commissioners at the
time were obliged to recognize the two
companies as rivals, or as entirely dis
tinct and separate enterprises. Now
a new utilities commission, under a
new utilities regulation law, is start
ing an action intended to show that
the two companies are really one,
with a view to ordering a reduction OF
the gas rate in Georgetown.
The city of Everett. Wash, is
named for Everett Colby, whose
father was one of the builders of the
Chicago and Milwaukee railroad, laid
out the town and named it after the
baby. Everett (the town, not the
Jersey Bull Moose gubernato1fal can
didate) is a metropolis, which so far
builds mostly on its future. One OF
the Republican congresses gave it an
appropria ton of $4,000 for new
postoffice. OF this. $4,000 was spent
for the site, and a two-story building
was planned to use up the remainder
OF the appropriation. For two years
low the town promoters have been
trying to get another 100000 tackled
onto the building appropriation.
Everett has a population of about
%, 900. and its postal receipts last year
were a little over $4,000. When asked
for a reason for increasing the appro-
priation, Congressman Humphrey
who represents that district, told the
House the other day that the sum
was paltry for Everett, as bigger
buildings were being put up in towns
of 1000 in other parts OF the West
Interstate Commerce Commissioner
McChord said day or two ago that
the commission would be ready in a
short time to make a report on the
number of steel and wooden railroad
cars in operation in the United States.
II is promised that the commission Is
to make further investigation OF
safety signal systems and other
safety devices for railroads. 1t is an
nounced by members of Congress that
they are going to pass laws next win
ter, ordering all railroads to be
equipped with safety signal systems
and steel cars.
The Interstate Commerce Commits
sion was ordered several years ago to
investigate and report on safety de-
vices and signal systems. The COM
mission has had force of engineers
on this work. has investigated hun
dreds OF signal systems and passed
ON them. and recommended many ~
them for adoption. That is as far as
they could go. They have had no
power to order a. railroad to adopt