Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-06-10
COUNCIL DIGS DEEP.
Continued from pAwo 5

| asking questions, but the commission,
through Mr. McMullen, objected and
Mr.. Robertson asked series OF questions
| for him He desired to know If the com
missioners had met with the company
officers and their legal advisers at the
company offices and got the reply mo.
The next question brought up the
status of the expert sharply:
"Why did the board engage a West'ng-
house expert knowing that the traction
company obtains supplies from the
Westinghouse Company
| "I'm not aware who 1t buys supplies
/ from" declared Mr.. McMullen
'I'd like TO ask the other comrnis-
uoners the same question. went on Mr..
| Robertson. eyeing the group in the corner
Mr.. Carretson arose. at stands TO
reason that the company buys from
number of concerns, said he, and the
| line was dropped for few minutes.
Mr.. Robertson said he would like to
| ask each of the commissioners II he held
| any traction stock and each replied no.
| Neither thew said, did they hold bonds
nor did they ever
Councilman Abberger now had lew
| queries He wanted TO know # the com
| missoners had examined the traction
company charter He was told they had
all the public utility charters Al their
command for inspection, Did the charter
call for fvr-cent fare? 1t did Then
WHY the increase? Because counsel and
| the United States government had ad-
vised IL and Mr. McMullen said the
commission had q number OF communlca-
tions from the government about such
matters although the Wilmington and
Philadelphia Traction Co. was not specIf-
callv named in them.
RACK TO THE EXPERT AGAIN
Then the wind Of questioning shifted
once more 90 the expert, Mr. Robertson
wanting t0 know why the cotnmiSsl 0nerS
did not employ one who was not connected
with concern that had no business rela-
tions with the traction company The
reply was that the " Westinghouse company
follows this line of investigating and re-
porting business all over the country
Doesn't the law SAY YOU shall employ
4 disjntrrrstrd party" asked Mr. Robert
son. to which MIR McMulcn replied by
reading that section Of the board -crcating
act which laws down this Instruction IL
would be an impoSsihIlity he went on
To try and get an expert not connected
in any wav with the sale of supplies
The questIoncrs Indicated that their
opinions in this respect differed from his
Then MIR McMullen made a statement
OF his own to the effect that there seemed
IL be an impression that the increase had
been granted for life Tins WAS not
true he said. and be denied that the
commissioners had tried 70 be unfair
The order. he said. could be ahrogated
at any time the c0mmISsIonerN saw nj
when the reports II should receive from
the company. under the order provisions
should indicate that a change OF rate
could be properly made
At tins point came the series OF interest
ing inter- osaturIes and answer which led
IL the pUttug-up t. the COMMISSIONERS
of Whist they would DO with the order werV-
some one wiling Ia take over the
cent fare bass
TAIN or BUTtsG .SD SELLING.
Didn; vou Anow asked Mr. Har-
man that some one here IN thus city
Was ready 70 take over the property al a
FAIR valuation and operate Il on live
cent fare plan
Mr. McMulien SAID that he had no
evidence ~ such a thing ami Mr. HarInan
then asked II the commission would re
send It's 7-Ceni order under such cir
cIlmstances Mir Bayard objected 10
tins as an unfair question and the stating
Of purely hypothetical case President
Lyon overruled the objection ana said he
thought il was perfectly fair and looked
TO HIM as II things were coming down to
earth again Then there was discussion
of what u fair valuation might be. Mr.
Hartman agreeing that 1t must be valua-
tion as of today when the property is OF
greater value than months ago before the
war broke out-or III normal times
Arrived at this, MIR HarInAn again
asked if II was not the duty al the coIn-
mission ~ rescind the T-ccnt order If sorne
one offered to buy the property at such
valuation and guarantee g better ser
vice on a hve-eent fare Mr. Garretson
didn't think the courts would uphold
this and MIR McMullen Thought the
commission had no right Ia force the
company u sell Mr. Hartman didn't think
there was any forcing 81 the Company IN
such a situation and SAID that he was
informed thai such person, with such q
plan stOed ready - place 1t In effect.
lie wanted ia know " hat the cvEnInIsslon-
ers had Ia say about 1t and bow they
weulu receive 1t After much questioning
he got from MIR Acai uileH that hG weud
give the matter his best judgment ami
not be- unfair The Same question was put
t. the other members of the commission.
Nessrs Holt lsaacs and Mock fell III
with Mir McAullen view, but Mr.
Garretsen did not.
Then MI Robertson CHANGING At his
watch, the hour pointing to ] 1 said
that it would be necessary for Council to
held another special session Gn traction
company matters and moved that It be
next Friday night, that the utilities com
fnisslaaers be summoned to attend II and
that it proceed ~ investigate the facts
surrounding the company charter.
A few minutes later big blocks Of vii
mlngtons citizenry were exudIng into
King street talking the situation over.
hunting for ice cream hcks and other and
ether sources OF empOriUms Of refresh
Heat, and wondering what Is going TO
happen as the next move IN the Carfarc
situation And each, when he got hemc
to q better half awaiting news of the
night set to work to tell partisan story q.
Ia Rudyard kipling and each III ms
separate, shall draw the Thing az he sees
1t for the God Of Things as They Are
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