The Washington herald., 1921-06-19
Include Gas and Light
Companies, Congress
man Proposes.
SAYS PLAN WOULD
CUTRATES OF ALL
Has Brought scent Fare
In Others Cities, He
Points Out.

Consolidation Of all local public
utilities. with the title vested in
the public. is not only the solution
of the present street car tangle but
the way also to reduce the cost OF
gas, water and electricity. accord
ing to Representative Keller, OF
Minnesota
The position Of all privately
owned utilities companies in the
United States is analogous" said
Keller. They have with but very
few executions lost the confidence
of the people as a result of a policy
which seems to be Let the public
make the best of it, The desire
for dividends has been out of all
proportion to the desire to render
a high standard of service at the
least possible rate.
Public Has Acted
.In many cases where the public
has awakened to this attitude of the
public utilities they have made the
best Of it by taking over these
companies and operating them
themselves And in every instance
where they have been managed by
competent and conservative men
they have become institutions to
which the people of the community
have been proud to point
ANY reference to publicly
owned street car system, water
works or electric light plant is met
by the corporations with the pro-
test that for the municipality to
own these enterprises Is socialistic.
One would hardly expect corpo-
ration to permit the people to take
over a monopoly without protest
The railways in Washington do
not constitute a monopoly, accord
ing to their charters, but as far
as the people are concerned they
do. There is practically no com
petition and the rate Of fare is
Identical on both systems
Basis of Opposition.
.-Th. opposition to all proposals
that the public utilities in the Dis
h.en based on the -ifty-hfty plan
existing here. The Keller plan.
however, would IN no wise conflict
with any apportionment of taxes,
as il proposes to remove the taxes
entirely. The corporation would be
owned by the people and be self
sustaining, being able to pay. at
the same time, 5 per cent on It's
bonds. a fact which should make
these securities very desirable.
The removal of the taxes, eN-
nI.ined Keller, would undoubtedly
increase the taxes on property, but
the effect of this would be to bene-
ht the small property holder. Al
present the large downtown ou1ld-
ings are undervalued, and their
taxes are far too low. Under the
Keller plan their taxes would be
increased, but the reduction in the
cost of gas, electricity and water
would more than offset the increase
in taxes, not to mention the tre-
mendous saving to the man who
is compelled to live on three or
four dollars a day.
There is no way in which my
plan could work an injustice to
anyone In cities where il has
been tried, the opposite has been
the case. San Francisco and other
cities now have scent fare.
where the water supply has been
controlled by private ownership
and later taken over by the city
there have been reductions of over
so per cent in the cost of water. and
in my own city of St Paul the cost
was reduced over so per cent.
.PubIic Does 1t Better.-
1T would be decidedly unjust to
deprive the utility companies of a
fair return on their investment,
but the people should not pay a Z.
Or even a per cent return to in
diyiduals operating a street rail-
way company, a gas company, or
any other public utilities company.
when the people themselves are
able and entitled to accomplish the
same thing at the rate of per
cent
1T has not been my intention to
ininct an injury on the present
street car companies in framing my
BILL" Mr.. Keller reiterated. PRO
vision has been made to reimburse
the corporations on fair, and
even a liberal, basis. The act pro-
yides that ninety days after its
passage the Commissioners. by pc
tition, shall institute with the Pub
lie Utilities Commission, in the
name of the District of Columbia, a
proceeding for the condemnation
Of such street railroads, and that
the Public Utilities Commission be
empowered and directed to hear
and determine such proceeding.
The petition shall designate the
street railroads to be condemned,
ana must state the names OF the
owners apd the places of their resi-
dsnce or ONCE in the District of
CrIumbia- The commission shall
give not less than ten days notice,
and cause notice of the proceedings
70 be published in the newspapers,
so that all interested may appear
before the commission at the hear
Ing.
MUST Examine Evidence.
II AIts would be necessary" Keller
rxplained. for the Public Utilities
Commission to examine the railroads
and to hear and receive all the evil
dence that might be offered on be-
half Of those affected by the con-
The commission would
hen state the amount found to be
fue and award this amount to the
,wuers as damages. Exceptions to
any rulings would be within the
.o~rrxf-zn ox PACE srr