The Washington times., 1914-01-02
WITHHOLD PROXIES.
COMMITTEE ASKS
Group of Protesting Gas Stock
holders Starts Fight on
Company Directors.

Unable to get together" with the di-
rectors of the Washington Gas Light
Company. the committee Of stockhold-
ers who are conducting a Tight for Ger
tain changes in the management Of the
company today started advertising to
all the stockholders of the company urg-
ing them to withhold their proxies for
the annual meeting next month and to
confer with the committee meantime.
The advertisement is signed by Ed
mund X. Fox, chairman; Joseph Stras-
burger A. B. Coppes, Robert Craig, and
Charles A Shields. 1t urges stOckhold-
ers not to return their proxies until they
have communicated with the committee.
The question of whether the company
had the right to increase its board of
directors from seven to fifteen members
was recently put up to the Public Utih-
ties Commission with the result that the
commission gave an affirmative opinion.
The general counsel of the company,
however maintains that the stockhold-
ers would have to get direct sanction
of Congress to make such a change.
The committee is proceeding on the
theory that the board may be increased,
and is urging all stockholders to vote
that way. In a statement the commit
tee also adds:
''lEe are now assured that We are
asking nothing impossible or unreason-
able. We think our board Of directors
should be composed of fifteen business
men. selected from various sections of
the city, of various occupations, and rep
resentative of the entire stockholdtng
body. Fifteen directors for LOO stock
holders does not seem like a crowded
repre- Sentation.
I'VE also believe that the Washington
Gas Light Company is important enough
and potential enough to require and en-
gage the earnest and undivided effort
and labors of one man for its president
without sharing his attention with any
other office and that without such sole
and undivided attention, his duty to-
ward the Washington Gas Light Com
pany VIII not be property performed.
we believe that the stockholders
should assemble at the annual meeting
and have free, full, and open discussion
as to the business of the company, and
we are willing to submit these questions
of such meeting to their determination
and conclusion"
In a letter sent out to stockholders
today the committee outlines the &C
tion taken and says that special
meeting OF the stockholders may be
held in the early future. All are urgeu
to attend the regular annual meeting
personally and to watch the advertise
ments in the papers for prior develop
mentS.
A small volume of business at firm
prices was transacted on the local stock
exchange today. y total of 5000 in
bonds and thirty-five shares of stock,
all in small lots, was traded.
Lawrence o. Murray. former Comp
trUller of the Currency, is one of the
directors of a new insurance company
being OEanized in Indiana. The Union
National Fire Insurance Company, to
have its home office in Indianapolis, will
have a capital and curplus of &, 900. 900
and will push ITS business in this city,
according to a report in insurance cir
Cles. Senators Duncan Z. Fletcher,
president of the Southern Commercial
Congress, and John W. Kern, Of In
diana, are also members of the board.