Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-31
Hears Argument by Vice-Presi-
dent Evans, but Evidences
Little Enthusiasm.
EXPECT REPORT TOMORROW
Mccarthy Puts Pertinent Ques-
tions, and Points a Moral by
Citation From Bible.

exposition OF the leasing offer of the
Southern Gas and Electric Corporation
as presented by President NJ u
Evans. Of that company, and at the
end OF tho hearing announced that the
board will take the matter under adj
visemcnt and file it's rccommcndat tions
with the Council Public Utilities Com
mittee.
The committee sent tho matter to
the board at a meeting held on March
10, instructing that II be reported back
with hreen days The board will.
therefore. probably file it's recomme nda-
tions to-day or tomorrow.
Those who watched the proceedings
yesterday were not left In doubt rs
TO the attitude of the board TO the
Sas-leasing proposition. The trend of
the questions put to the representative
or the applying company, we'll the
frank skepticism with which the mem
bers received the claim that n lease of
the works will result In the public get
ting better gas and better service, made
II clear that the proposal TO lease the
gas plant Will be sent back to the com
mittee with the recommenda ton that It
bc rejected
EVANS MAKES CLEAR
PRESERVATION OF OFFER
Mr. Evans. in spite of patiently
hostile atmosphere. made good pre-
sentation OF his companys offer. re-
peat!ng in substance the principal
arguments employed on two other oc-
casions before Council committees by
President Homer and Vice President
Pollftt, Of the Southern Gas and Elcc-
trio Corporation.
Much of his exposition was devoted
TO critical analysis OF n statement
OF the municipal gas situation, pub
lshed recently under the signature of
JOHN H!rschberg. OF the Administra-
tive Board, showing that municipal
ownership and operation for the next
i've years would bring the city a larger
return than would result from the op-
Grafton Of the plant under lease
Taking the same period of time EN-
braced In Mr. Hirschberg's statement,
Mr.. Evans undertook to show that the
net gain to the city as the result of
private operation under the suggested
ofit-sharing lease would be S196,626.
Under the same arrangement, Mr..
Evans claimed, the city during 1914
alone would have made additional
profits OF s4a.4G3
The interesting development was a
statement by MIR. Evans to the effect
that the two leasing offers that his
company has submitted are merely ten
tative, and that It Is entirely probable
should competitors seek the lease. that
more liberal offers would be made.
WILL AMEND OFFER If
PROPERTY IS WORTH MORE
III we can be assured that the prop
ertS is worth more. we will amend our
oifer In accordance with what the fact
justifies," said Mr.. Evans, and n bet
ter ofer may be made by us then. But
we submit we believe our figures
arc correo ,.hd that our offer is
LIBERAL"
Mr.. Evans went in some detail into
the Gas Departments annual reports to
show that in preparing Its statement
or profits 1t had omitted cerain dis
bursements which should logically have
been charged against the profit bal
ance. The list of thes> omitted
charges proved to be imposing. Mr..
Evans laid emphasis on them The
trend OF his argumen' at this point
was that the Gas Works were not as
prohtnble as the departments annual
report showed It TO be.
III all these things that YOU have
JUST told us are true, what is your oh
Ject In seeking the lease" demanded
Carlton Mccarthy. sharply.
Because we think there is an oppor-
tunity here TO make some money" re-
piled Mr.. Evans candidly.
You do? Well. that's remarkable.
commented Mr.. Mccarthy.
HIRsCIIBERG QUESTIONS
EVANS SHARPLY
MT. Hirschberg spoke pointedly OF
the company's submitting to the city its
lowest bid" and describing it as a lib
eral offer. He questioned Mr.. Evans
sharply as to the thoroughness of the
examination OF the gas plant that has
been conducted by his company. Tho
latter replied that while he was not in
formed as to the thoroughness with
which the works had been examined. be
knew that one of the company.s en-
gincers had made an investigation and
filed n report.
MIR. Hirschberg directed attention IN
what he called the rather unusual pro-
ceeding or the company in filing what it
regarded as n liberal offer for the lease
of the works without making in ad-
vance careful study Of the property
1t desired TO lease
COMPANY HAS ON FILE
REPORTS on PLANT
Mr. Evans replied that the company
did have In Its files an engineers report
on the plant based on n short investi-
Hation conducted about eighteen months
ago. In making Its offer II was guided
iurther' ne said. by the Gas Depart
meht own reports. Mr.. Hirschberg,
nevertheless, thought that the COM
panys whole proceeding resembled n
IN hrx
the general assumption that Mt the price
offered 1t would be impossible to lose.
There followed n sharp cross-fire OF
questions from Mr.. Mccarthy, who
sought TO pin Mr.. Evans down to n hard
and fast, definition OF what his com
Continued on Third Pagc)