Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-30
Urge Municipal Ownership AM
Operation of City Street
Railways.
APPEAR IN PERSON BEFORE
HOUSE COMMITTEE TODAY
Declare Public Service Ought Not to
Be Rendered by Private Cor
poration for Profit.

Commissioner Newman intimated be-
fore the House District committee today
that the public utilities commission had
turned up information that could be used
as a sound argument in favor of the own
ership and operation by the District gov
eminent of the street railways of the
District.
Commissioner Siddons told the commit
tee that in his opinion the public utilities
commission would never be able to regu-
late the street railways to the satisfac-
ton of the public. and advocated munic-
ipal ownership as the most progressive
of all doctrines on the subject: and Com
missioner Harding answered the ques-
tions of the members Of the committee,
showing that he is firm believer in pub
lie ownership.
For several hours today, in a hot and
crowded committee room. the heads Of
sons for advocating the Crosser street
railway ownership bill, while street rail-
way officials, who have been fighting the
bill tooth and nail and by statistics with
out end. heard the Commissioners base
their reasons for selling out the two pri-
vate corporations now owning the rail-
ways on the general doctrine that
service which is public ought not to be
rendered by private corporation for
profit
Commissioner Newman's Statement.
Commissioner Newman opened the
session with statement which
showed all the signs Of care and study.
At the conclusion of its presentation
Representative Winslow, strongly op-
posed to municipal ownership. asked
him:
You have gone thoroughly into this
question as it appears in the world at
large; have you any specific reasons,
local reasons why the Crosser bill
should pass?'
Commissioner Newman's reply was to
advocated were sufficient for the spe-
cific local situation; and he added that
control of street railways by public
commission here is rendered difficult
by the existence of two large railway
corporations.
Representative Winslow asked him if
he favored governmental ownership OF
all utilities, telephones, telegraphs.
railroads, mines, etc.
Favored Governmental Ownership.
Mr. Newman said he did believe in it;
that he favors first the governmental
ownership of all those utilities without
and other services follow in their gen.
eral usefulness.
Before you became Commissioner
were you on record in speeches or
articles favoring municipal ownership
asked Representative Winslow.
"Oh. yes
Then you came to the District build
ing already prejudiced?"
I'D dislike to cali it prejudiced.
would say it was a conviction"
The Massachusetts representative asked
how the District could handle interurban
travel if it owned the District roads but
not the roads extending beyond the Dis
trict line. such as the Chevy Chase line.
Commissioner Newman said he believed
the District would have three methods,
one would be to get authority from Con-
sress to operate them, to enter into a
private contract with the roads or by
straight purchase of the properties.
Regulation Matter of Doubt.
Representative Winslow endeavored to
get an answer to the question as to
whether the Commissioners knew any
reason why the roads here should be sold
out affecting their management" After
considerable sparring Commissioner New
man made fiat refusal to answer, based
on the statement that the public utilities
commission is delving into the companies
affairs, and a statement at this time
would be premature. He did say, how
ever:
THE commission has met with SO much
obstruction and opposition in the attempt
to regulate the roads that doubt we
can ever regulate them properly, and that
is one reason for advocating municipal
ownership.
Commissioner Siddons said be believed
in general that public service should be
rendered by publicly owned concerns, and
that he is opposed to private monopoly in
all its forms. He said, in reply TO denun-
citation of municipal ownership given by
witnesses before the committee, that the
saddest of all chapters is the story Of the
failure of the privately-owned public serv
ice corporations.
Increase of Electric Light Plants.
Statistics showing the location of the
l ,562 publicly owned plants were furnish
ed the committee by Mr.. Newman. who
asserted that the total assets of the
plants amounted to ss6521. .125 and their
liabilities $6S So. .903. leaving them a net
surplus of SIT .69S 222.
THE gross income of the plants in 1872
was $2:1.21S,9S9, and the gross expenses
were S16917. .16J. making a net profit of
ST. .3O1, ,S24.'' said the Commissioner. In
not one of the forty-eight states in which
the UTILITIES are lOcdltu WdS d lOSS
shown
The District official then took up the
question of gas companies, stating that
I19 of the 1.296 gas plants in the United
States are municipality owned This is
an increase of about d hundred in the
last twelve years, he stated.
Substantial Railway Revenues.
Municipal ownership figures with re-
spect to the operation of street railways
were presented to the committee in con-
siderable detail.
Mr.. Newman said that the railway lines
of the cities of Calgary. Edmonton and
Port Arthur, Canada. which are munich
pally operated, had shown substantial net
revenues.
He quoted from House document TO.
Sixty third Congress, to show that in
Great Britain there are lO4o publicly
owned waterworks. 256 publicly owned
plants. :s'4 publicly owned
electric lighting plants and l42 publicly
owned street railways.