Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-24
BY I. A, FLEMING.

Here is the way Francis H. Sisson,
vice president of the Guaranty Trust
Company of New York, sizes up the
spirit of the times in a Commercial
optigram":
American efficiency is responding to
the conditions offered by war. 1t is elm
mating lost motion and is transmitting
effort into greater achievement.
The pressure of necessity has shown
the folly of legislation that violates
economic laws and is forcing the abro-
cation of such statutes.
Never before have the intellects of
industry been SO active. Science is find
ing the answer to the most battling
problems. New methods of utilizing
materials and by-products are being
discovered. We are meeting swiftly
changing situations with vigor and a
ready adaptation to circumstances.
I'VE can face long continuation of
the war with fortitude. and will be pre-
pared to avail ourselves to the utmost
of the quickly expanding opportunities
of peace
Washington Public Utilities.
With the possible exception of the
| Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone
Company, which is owned almost ex-
clusively by the American Telephone
and Telegraph Company, all the public
| utilities now serving the people OF
Washington are home institutions in
| the fullest sense of the word There
| is and always will be some outside
capital invested here. For human
! beings frequently change their living
| places. and this is probably more
! noticeable in the capital than else
! where. But the great bulk of the mil
lions of capital as represented IN
stocks and bonds of the various COM
pie.
These home investors are as greatly
| interested in having satisfactory serv'
| ice from these corporations as any
: other citizen. for they suffer IN IKE IKE
manner when the service is poor. AL
have had their incomes clipped ano
1 have sustained enormous losses through
depreciation of their securities in the
last two years. They would welcome
any merger that would meet with the
approval of the people of Washington
The urbane diplomacy of the execu-
I tives of the Capital Traction Company
and of the Washington Gas Company
| have made these two utility companies
solid with the public. Their disposi-
| ton to work in harmony with the Pub
| lie Utilities Commission and TO give
such assistance as is in their power in
solving problems of the day and hour
secured Tor them appreciation from lhe
commission and the public alike, SO
much so that in the case Of the latte.
company the advance in the cost OF
gas, as fixed by the utilities commission
at 80 cents brought little criticism.
1t is matter of comment that dur
ing the seventy years that the Wash
ington Gas Company has been in ex-
istence every readjustment was at
tended with a reduction in price
charged and most of the cutting was
voluntary: it is also to its credit that
so it is claimed. service has always
been continuous and no exigency has
been sufficient to discommode its Gus
toners or deprive them of service.
1t is probable that the directors OF
the Washington Railway and Electric
Company and it's subsidiary corpora
ton, the Potomac Electric Light and
Power Company, will be found display
ing in SO far as possible, real diplo-
macy and harmonious action with the
Public Utilities Commission in an effor1
to win back public appreciation and t.
assist in producing merger that viii
give Washington through lines in al
directions and a service such as the
National Capital should have.
A betterment of service cannot be
appreciably made save after some time
| but the interests of the shareholder:
| is the corporation demand that thi:
| subject should be given consideration
just as quickly as possible.