Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-21
Measure Uniting Local Com
panies Soon to Be introduced
in Congress.
WOULD LOWER EXISTING
RATES IN GEORGETOWN
Friends of Plan Say It Is Designed
to Work to Communitys
Best Interests.

\ bill to permit the merger of the
Georgetown Gas Light Company and the
Washington Gas Light Company is to be
introduced in the Senate and House with
In few days. it is learned
~ the bill becomes law it will mean
gas at the rate of 81 cents thousand
cubic feet for the residents of George
town. This is the price of gas in Wash
Sngton. The charge by the Georgetown
rompany at present is 81 for thousand
cubic feet.
Howard S Reside. vice president of
the Washington Gas Light Coi~oany, and
benjamin s. Minor, counsel for the COM
pany, have taken the matter up with
several members of Congress. including
Senator John Walter Smith. chairman of
the Senate District committee. Senator
Smith Informed them that if bill for
the merger were introduced in the Sen
ate he would see to it that the measure
received consideration and that proper
hearings would be arranged
Bill Being Drafted.
Mr.. Reeside said today that the pro-
visions of the proposed bill were being
carefully drafted. and that he expected
II would be introduced in Congress with
IN three or four days. He was not ready,
he said, to make public all the provisions
Of the bill for the simple reason that they
were not completed
"Of course the bill will provide for
eighy-five-cent gas In Georgetown, said
Mr.. Reside. And the bill will call for
the effecting of the merger under the
supervision of the public utilities COM
mission.
Mr.. Reside predicted that the proposed
he anti iQfa
the Georgetown company. The wash
ington company as a matter of fact.
owns much stock in the Georgetown COM
pany. The minority stockholders OF the
would acquiesce in the proposed merger
Has Sought Merger.
For some time the Washington Gas
Light Company has been seeking the
authority to bring about merger Of the
TWO companies. Appeal was made to the
public utilities commission several months
ago, but that commission decided that
it did not have sumcient authority under
the law to permit such merger
Friends of the proposed merger argue
that it will be a benefit to the community,
certainly to the citizens of Georgetown,
They hold that a monopoly in the pro-
duction and supply Of gas in a community
is more desirable than having two or
more companies, that it looks to efficiency
and lower prices.
May Oppose Measure.
That the Comissioners will disapprove
any bill looking toward amalgamation OF
the Washington and Georgetown Gas
Light companies is the belief in loca
government circles. 1t became knowr
today that representatives Of the cor.
porations in question recently asked the
District heads if they would support g
measure providing fer the merger OF the
TWO concerns.
The Commissioners replied that the,
would not care to commit themselves II
the matter until bill authorizing th'
proposed consolidation had been intro
auced in Congress and referred to then
for an opinion
Commissioner Newman this mornini
;aid that this is still the position Of th'
board and that the Commissioners will
not make known their views on the ques
ton until asked to do so by Congress.