The Washington herald., 1913-10-12
UTILITY AFFAIRS
TOFACE inquiry
Commissioners Plan to Re-
form Conditions Under
Which Public Labors.
TAXICAB INQUIRY FIRST
Tariff Rates of Companies Shortly
May Be Regulated Through New
man and His Assistants.

With the completion of their annual
budget by October Is. the District heads
plan to devote considerable study to the
various problems presented to them as
members of the Public Utilities Comrlis-
sion. They intend to make a thorough
isnvass of the conduct o. all utilities in
he District, consider all possible abuses
their administration and rate sched-
ules, and the best means OF remedy.
One Of the first questions they will pass
upon as members of the utilities body is
that Of their Jurisdiction over the taxicab
companies. The question for them to ne
eide is whether these concerns are COM
non carriers" 1t is believed that the
Commissioners decision will be in the
affirmative.
In event of decision that the cab COM
panies come under the regulation Of the
utilities commission, the Commissioners
have announced that they will proceed 10
an early consideration of the present
tariff rates of those companies. This will
Sc the one exception in the case of the
Washington utilities.
Delay May Occur.
Investigation of the rates OF the other
corporations will be delayed until an ap-
prOpriatiOn can be obtained from Con-
gress for the purpose of placing vaIua-
tons upon the properties and rights of
their businesses
Another important matter before the
commission for immediate consideration
Is that of universal transfers for the
District. To obtain universal transfers
has been a matter of several years of
endeavOr here, during which time prac-
tically every citizens association in
Washington has gone on record in ia
vor of this reform, together with many
Of the other civic organizations.
hearing on this question to be held a
week from Monday The public has
been invited to attend this hearing, and
it is probable that most of the citi-
zens' organizations will have repre-
sentatives present to urge the need of
universal transfers and brand the lack
of their issuance here as way behind
the demands of a modern city
BY the action of the commission on
this question, the public will be able
to form a good idea Of the policy to be
followed by that body in its regulation
gf the public utilities. An order from
The commission requiring the local
street car companies to issue free re-
ciprocal transfers will show that it is
The temper of the utilities body to en-
ploy the full force of the power vested
IN them by the utilities law in order to
regulate the operation of the public
10 lle DtSI Ol
people.
Capt. Powell to Report.
The work of the commission will be
less hampered when its executive officer,
Capt Julian L. Schley, is relieved of the
supervision of various departments under
his control This will be accomplished
when Capt. Powell VINO has been as
signed from the Corps of Army En-
gineers to duty at the District Building,
reports next week.
a consideration that will make the de-
velopment of the public utilities commits
sion under IT'S new officers dOubly inter-
esting is the fact that both Commission
ers Newman and Siddons are known to
favor the general principle of public
ownership of public utilities. As soon
as the Commissioners are freed from
their big task of preparing the estimates,
it will. probably, shortly be demonstrated
just how effective the new public utilities
law is going to be.