Evening star., 1915-02-14

Annual reports Of the public utility
corporations operating in the District
of Columbia show many interesting
facts. The Capital Traction Company
paid out for wages and salaries $685.
7s1. the latter item including $S6.19S.
The Washington Railway and Electric
Company, although not reporting for
all of it's subsidiaries. paid out $512,-
S74, with salaries accounting for $685.
e15. conductors and motormen receiv-
ing the balance.
The Georgetown and Tenleytown sys-
tenn paid out $26,550: the Potomac Elec-
trio Power Company distributed $225.-
ss6; the Washington Gas Company
s2s3,364 and the Georgetown Gas Com
pany $19.427 in wages and salaries.
The washington-Virgini Railway
Company's pay roll in the District to-
tailed $27,439 and the Washington-1n-
terurban s3,54s. A number of corpora
tions in the list of utilities made no re-
ports on this feature of their affairs,
but the pay rolls of the Chesapeake
and Potomac Telephone Company and a
few other institutions will easily bring
the $1,767,379 accounted for up to ST.
SOC, 900. if not to greater aggregate.
In the matter of taxes all corpora
tions pay l per cent on their gross
earnings and other taxes. The leading
utilities are contributors to the taxes
of the District to the amount of $543.-
9l3, as follows:
washington Gas Company. $16S.s41;
Washington Railway and Electric Com
pany. si11,SsS; Potomac Electric Power
Company' $142.1Os: Georgetown Gas
Company, $14.440. and Georgetown and
Tenleytown Railroad Company. $3:1O0.
reDOrted
The Washington Railway and Electric
Company paid $25.024 for crossing po-
licemen and the Capital traction COM
pany probably an equal amount.
The retirement of the United states
Express Company cost the District
S135,717, the amount OF taxes PAID by
this corporation in 1919.
These figures give some ldea OF the
Importance of the public utilities from
a standpoint of their outlay IN the
District, which must be largely IN
creased by maintenance ana repair
charges.
Proxy Voting.
It would seem as If the time had
come for shareholders in corporations
to attend annual meetings, to under
stand thoroughly the various PROPOSE
tions and to vote intelligently thereon,
instead of delegating the power to
some proxy committee named by the
insiders and whose vote is always with
the officials of the corporation.
These proxies are sent out before the
annual meeting of corporations and
heretofore they have been signed and
mailed to headquarters without thought
or much consideration as to the desires
of those who are to be represented In
connection with the corporation CON
cerned. It gives the "ins" absolute
control of every meeting and frequent
ly the policies which the shareholder
thereby indorses in blank lead to un-
pleasant surprises. This year a ten
cent stamp necessitated by the war tax
has lessened the use of the proxy vote,
except where vitality needed.
There Is increased agitation for the
one plan proposes that each sharehold-
er who cannot be present shall vote by
mail.
Few of the big corporations of the
District are largely owned by any one
interest or by any small number OF
men, but rather by many shareholders
Talk Of Consolidation.
Talk of consolidation of utilities is
rife, although so far as information
can be obtained it is not within the
pale of probabilities until such time az
the temper of Congress suggests the
advisability OF union.
might be obtained by the District, al
| though the probable need for future
financing by some corporations and the
| fact that some large blocks of stock
might be obtained may have, II Il
pointed cut in some Quarters. caused