Evening star., 1915-04-13
Declare Commissions Action in Re-
ducing Gas Candlepower Un-.
fair to Consumers.
Demand Price Reduction to rs Cents
a Thousand-Criticise Telephone
and Electric Light Services.

utilities commission to maze investi-
cations
The question of the retention of rule
~ by the board OF education, which
provides that teachers who marry au-
tomatically retire from their positions.
was discussed. ana BY an almost unan-
imous vote the organization went on
record as favoring enforcement OF the
rule.
Roscoe Jenkins. secretary Of the as
sociation and chairman OF the commit
tee on public utilities, submitted a re-
port in response to the letter oil tne
Washington Gas Light Company re-
ceived by the association in answer to
the action taken at the last meeting.
His report reads
The chief contention made by the
commission in support of it's action in
establishing the heat unit standard is
that gas made under that standard Is
relatively less expensive to manufac-
ture than the gas furnished under the
Illuminating standard, and it is there
fore in the interest of economy that
the illuminating standard be replaced
by the heat unit standard and that
this economy should eventually be feit
by the consumers since the law pro-
ytdes that the rates for gas used In
the District of Columbia shall be hXed
by the public utilities commission in
ferring that some day the public utfl1-
ties commission will see to it that the
consumer gets his rake off through the
decrease In the cost of production.
probably after the completion of the
valuation and investigation OF the gas
light companies now being made.
.'In the meantime the consumers
must put up with a gas of inferior il
Illuminating quality Or or purchase 3nsenas, IN IN
tribute again to the profits OF the gas
light companies. First by paying IT for
a gas costing less to produce at the
same rate chargee for the more ex-
pensive product, and second by having
to purchase mantles and fixtures, an
other product which the gas light COM
panies are very much interested in.
Unfair to Consumers.
TT seems unfair to your committee
for the public utilities commission to
grant concessions to the gas light
companies. thereby increasing their al
ready enormous profits. before the in
vestigation and valuation of their
properties have been completed, and at
the same time alleging to the con-
sumers that il cannot make any con-
cessions to them until it has completed
Its Investigations and valuation of the
gas light companies.
with the technical arguments sub
mitted by the commission your COM
mittee has no contention, and assuming
them to be true it is every evidence
standard should have been retained, at
least until the valuation and investiga-
tion of the gas light companies have
been completed. or the public utilities
commission should have exercised the
authority it says was given it by law
to regulate the rates charged for gas
and established a cheaper rate along
with the cheaper gas and necessary
mant1es.
Your committee recommends that
the public utilities commission be re-
quested to establish a cheaper rate for
gas. say not to exceed 10 cents per
thousand feet. pending the completion
of the valuation and investigation of
the gas light companies now being
made.
1T would further recommend that
the commission be requested to advise
this association by what authority,
naming the paragraph of section s,
creating the public utilities commits
sion. IL superseded the act Of Congress
requiring 22-candlepower illuminat-
ing standard, as per order of July %,
1914"
The report was adopted
Seeks Electric Light Inquiry.
W. S. Bransom, who last month dis
cussed the question of better and
cheaper gas. presented a report in the
form of resolution dealing with the
electric light and telephone service. He
contended that the practice of the
Potomac Electric Power Company in
making a fiat charge of 81 month, no
matter If only 10 cents worth of cur
rent is used. is unlawful and suggest
ed that the company should be penal
ized if such is the case.
Congress has established a maximum
price TO be charged for the current, Mr..
Bransom contended, and the committee
failed to find that that law had been
abrogated II was further rected in the
NN.sat rt.afi lon hall -OG
the present rate charged for the electric
current Is excessive, and suggested a
change of one-half the prevailing rate. de-
claring that such charge would net
rea soma BILE return on the amount of cap
ital invested.
The resolution concluded with the state
ment that the association believes the
present rates charged for telephone serv-
t'e in the District are grossly excessive.
III support of the resolution, Mr.. Bran
koJn read the law relating TO the electric
light service and related an instance in
which prominent resident of the city
questioned the authority of the Potoma C
Electric Power Company to assess its
charges under the regulation. That in
dividual. Mr.. Bransom declared, refused
TO pay his bills Ind defied the company to
cut of the current.
He now has an accumulation Of un-
paid bills" said Mr.. Bransom. "and the
current has not been cut or"
Mr.. Blandon, guest of the associa
Congress have any stock in the cor
porations.
"In no other cities with the exception Of
Washington and Baltimore are merchants
denied an unlimited telephone service"
he said, and II such conditions existed
In my state the governor would call
special session of the legislature to cor
rect them
DR.. Percival Hall questioned the right
of the public utilities commission TO
make laws regulating the utilities.
Congress. he said. has not the power TO
delegate such authority to that body.
The report was adopted without a
dissenting vote. and a copy of the reso-
1utions will be sent to the public utili-
ties commission.
Fiscal Facts Obtained.
Dr. l.. u. Walter presented resolu-
tion stating that we believe justice
and equity in its dealings with the
District Of Columbia require that the
Cnited States government should bear
q reasonable proportion Of the expenses
for the support Of said District, and
that we believe the proportion as es-
tablished by the act of June, 1878, to
be reasonable and should be main
tanned"
DIR. Walters resolution contained a
statement Of the work that is being
done by the committee of various civic
ORGANIZATIONS in the matter of collect
ing data to be presented to the select
committee of Congress that is to report
upon the question of the proportion
the District is to pay for it's mainte- =
nance.