Evening star., 1920-12-15
SEEK TOABO[|SH
UTILITIES BOARD
Park View Citizens Charge
It Has Been Liability,
Rather Than Asset.
AIDED FIRMS, NOT PEOPLE
Legislation to Fix Trolley, Gas and
Electric Rates Asked; School ,
Report Heard.

Charging that the Public Utilities
Commission since it's creation by Con-
gress has acted as the fiscal man.
agers'' of the public utilities corpora
tionS and that the people in the Dis
trict OF Columbia receive no benefit
from 1t, tha Park View Citizens AS
sociation last right adopted, by unan-
imous vote, resolution asking that
the commission be abolished.
The resolution, which was intro
duced by G. w. Gilmore, vice presi-
dent of the association, further ap-
pealed to Congress to enact legisla-
ton fixing the rates of street car
fares as specified in the charters OF
the street railway companies, provide
for universal transfers and fix the
price Of gas and electricity in proper
tion to that paid by the government
The resolution recalls the price for
street car tickets, gas and electricity
effective at the time the Public Util-
tiles Commission was created and
then continues:
What improvements have the peo-
pie received from the hands Of the
Public Utilities Commission? Car
fares have been increased from 1-6
to TX cents, with a probable further
increase; schedules have been reduced
and the overcrowded conditions of the
cars have become deplorable: the
skip-stop system has been establish
ed, to the inconvenience and dfsad-
vantage Of the riding public; in
creased fares have been granted to
all companies when only one petition
ed for them; the price of gas has
been increased from rs cents to $1.S2
per 1000 feet; the gas changed from
lighting to a heating standard. COM
pelling gas users to equip their lgnt-
ing fixtures with expensive gas
lamps and mantles. another product
OF the gas company: and the order 10
reduce the price of electricity from
10 cents to s cents per kilowatt hour
was withdrawn and the price restored
to 10 cents.
Eight years have been consumed by
The Public Utilities Commission in in
valuing the properties tf the various
public utilities. and in The meantime
the people were told thsy must wait un-
til the completion of the investigation
and the valuation before any relief or
Improvement in the service could be
aranted them, while on the other hand
hearings were held and relief granted to
the public utilities corporations time
after time.
@Fisenl Managers"
''The public utilities corporations look
to and expect the Public Utilities Com
mission to guarantee them sufnc1ent
amount to enable them to pay or
per cent OlNiucHo, III ShO1
Utilities Commission is and has been
acting as the fiscal managers Of the
public utilities corporations, thereby
leaving the companies free OF all re-
sponsibility in managing their own
properties efficiently and economically.
A detailed report on the school CEN
sus recently made of the Park View
district by members Of the associa-
ton was read by Miss Frances Fair-
ley in which the records were given
of the 2,614 white persons in that
community twenty-one years OF age
or under. OF 1.779 families in Park
View. 44s, or "a per cent, have no
children. There are los children un-
der one year of age, the other ages
being classified as follows:
One year, 137: years, 126; : years.
15i; years, Isl: 5 years. 13s; years.
147; 4 years. 143: s years, 14S:
years, 132; 10 years. 153; II years.
137; IL years. 149; 13 years, las; II
years, 137: Is years. 90; 16 years, 103;
II years. 1o1; Is years, 98; 1S years.
66; 20 years, So; 81 years, 66.
There are 73 per cent OF the fami-
lies in the subdivision that own their
homes. 30 per cent Of the parents
were born in this country and 25
per cent of them are voters.
The association asked the board Of
education to create nature study
department in the public schools to
carry on the work assumed volun-
tarily by Mrs. Susan s. Alburtis OF
the Wilson Normal School. 1t also
approved the pending Kelley bill to
enlarge the activities of the postal
savings banks