Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-06
Statement Made Before House
Subcommittee by Engineer
Commissioner Kutz.
SHOWS AMOUNT EXPENDED
FOR WORK OF EXPERTS
Pay Ranges From 500 to $50 a Day.
Explanation by Commissioner
Siddons.

public utilities of the District of CO. "
lumbia will be completed by September
!. 1916. according to a statement made ;
before the subcommittee OF the House
appropriations committee. which has
ordered a favorable report on the Dis
trict appropriation bill. The statement =.
was that of Maj. Kutz. Engineer Com
missioner, who. with Commissioner 9
Siddons. gave an explanation of just
what the public utilities commission Ia n
doing. how much is being paid for the i
work, etc. The statement has been
printed in the report of the executive >
hearings on the District bill.
Representative Page. who conducted {.
the inquiry, was especially interested
In knowing what is being paid for the,
services OF experts, and learned that -
Dr. Edward Bemis. organizer of the
system, is being paid 500 day, but Is
not to work over seventy-five days in a.
year. The chief engineer is being paid +,
$50 a day and is employed two-thtrds
of each month: the chief accountant,
Andrew Sangster. is being paid $50 a
day for approximately twenty days
each month.
Mai. Kutz said on this point:
These allowances are high. but are
not higher than other communities
nave palo TOT similar expert SERVICES. .
Explains Work of DR.. Bemis. ...
IN an explanation of DR.. Bemis' work.
Commissioner Siddons said: :,
when negotiations were taken up i
with him, among other things it wasi
understood that he was first of all to-
make a thorough study of the law and
to what It required in the making of.
the valuation. which he did. He then
planned and submitted to the commits
sion what he conceived to be mo
scheme of organization. the temporary
organization required to carry on the's
work as efficiently and effectively and
quickly as 1t could be done with the
means at our command. That he did.
The thing was charted in the way
that a modern engineer Will do. and IL
is available to the committee, the whole
scheme of the organization. A very
Important matter from our point OF 4
view was the standing of the men tot
be employed In the service. We real
lied then and we realize now that un-
less we can show that this work OF
valuation when completed has been
done by men who know their work thor,
oughly, know from experience. know ic{
because they have engaged in similar
work elsewhere. whose character as
such has not been challenged in the
performance OF the work-all OF that
was highly important indeed in order
that the valuation when completed
would by reason OF the character of the
men who have made 1T stand on par
with the best to be had in the coun-
| try.
Relative Cost.
ct think the committee should bear IN
mind the fact that at least two of the
utilities now being valued by US are
valuing their own properties at the
same time. and proportionately the
cost to them of the valuations they are
making cotemporaneously with our
valuations is greater than the cost to
the District geyssnmen and G Electric
Company and the Capital Traction Com
pany, as soon as we started in to value
them. organized valuation forces. EN-
ployfng presumably competent persons
from outside of the District. some from
Chicago and New York The cost to
them, from the best information we
have-and we think it is fairly reliable
lis greater proportionately than We
are paying for the valuation OF those
particular utilities and all the other
utilities which we are to value under
this law. In addition to that Dr.
Bemis' presence is required here a Ger
tain number of days each month. His
rate is 500 a day. but in no event can
1t exceed $500. IL remember the hs-
ures, for the work which is to be done.
You must remember that DIR. Bemis
began his more conspicuous career
in this work during the association
with the former mayor of ti.Neiana.
Mr. Tom l. johnson. 1t was there, Ia
charge of the water supply of cleve-
land. that DR.. Bemis began to attract
to himself the attention of men VINO
had studied the subject all over the
country The very best evidence OF
his work is the fact that he nfds
amid employment all over the country
at the figures he fixes for his services
nuties Outlined.
Personally, while wish I were
making 800 a day, think as things
20 that we were fortunate in securing
him, and I have no regret AS the
results of the valuations come m, the
results of the statistical work, ana
the accounting work by the statisi- =
clans and accountants employed TOT
this purpose, DR.. Bemis main WORE v
will begin to be seen in not merely
the collation. of the statistics obtained
by these men in the field. but in their
ar alysis, and their being placed IN
proper relation to one another. with
view to finally determining what rae
tors should enter into the fxing OF
the valuations. There are certain dts
putable facts not covered by the law,
For instance, we may expect nave
not any doubt of 1t. myself-that
very great effort, indeed. will be nade. 3,
when we come to value all the pubic
as a factor of valuation their so-cailed