The Washington times., 1921-07-23
U.s.ACT ION
ONLY HOPE
Of MERCER
Newman Sees Traction Combine
Lost Unless Government
Takes Over Systems.
BY MAJ. OLIVER p. NEWMAN.
rsrmerIy President. Board Of Commis-


BY MAJ. OLIVER p. NEWMAN,
Formerly President. Board Of Commis-
sisners. District Of Columbia.
Let's shake hands all round.
We've won the first fall in our
struggle for decency and fairness in
our utility problems.
In fact, we can congratulate our
selves on two counts--both big ones,
Gas Company Public Spirited.
I. Merger Of Washington Railway
and Electric and Potomac Power
has been killed, probably for good.
In Congress.
, 2. The gas company has como
forward and voluntarily offered to
txke . reduction OF 10 cents In
rates.
Perhaps II is improper to mention
such decent, public spirited action as
that of Benjamin L. Minor, attorney
for the gas company. in the same
paragraph with the unholy attempts
OF the Washington Railway and Elec-
1ItCi 10 put ONtI itS SCHStuE W BO4eO
electricity consumers for the purpose
Of making up street car losses.
The uniqueness and fairness Of At
torney Minors offer, however, and
the effectual scotching of the street
car coup in the House District Com
mittee are so far over on the right
side of the ledger for Washingtonians
that / trust the gas company and its
able counsel will tolerate the COM
pany I have put them in.
And the significance of the victory
In the House District Committee
should not be overlooked. Two weeks
ago 1t seemed certain that the propo-
nents of the Woods plan OF turning
the light company over to the Wash
ington Railway and Electric would
run away with the bacon But the
Federation OF Citizens Associations,
through President Westlake and
Chairman Clayton, of its utilities COM
mittee, got on the Job. as did Justin
Morrill, Chamberlin, representing the
wholesale consumers Of electricity.
Congressman Keller of Minnesota
and Lampert of Wisconsin started a
fight from within the committee, and
this writer and The Washington
Times made public what these gentle
men were doing and exposed the real
import OF the Woods bill, with this
result:
Today the proposal to give the power
company to the street car company by
legislative action Is as dead as smelt.
Biggest Joker Is Dead.
We may be especially grateful TO
Congressman Lampert and Congress.
man Hammer, who took the trouble to
inform themselves of all the jokers in
the Woods bill and point them out so
clearly that the committee was forced
to correct most of them.
The biggest Joker of all was com.
pletely killed. 1t was contained in the
now famous sections and 3, which
gave the Washington Railway and
Electric flat authority to absorb the
Potomac Electric Power Company, by
a surplusage of involved language. the
real meaning OF which was first
pointed out by the writer in these col.
umns. That has been fixed, and will
probably stay fixed for some time.
! In order that we may follow closely
and clearly. what has happened and
what may happen. let's review the
Woods bill. As introduced IL provided.
1. Authority for the Washington
Railway and Electric and the Capital
Traction to merge. -
2. Authority for the merged corpor.
alton, OR the Washington Railway
and Electric. to absorb the Potomac
Electric Power Company.
g. Repeal of the per cent tax on
gross receipts. providing the two big
street car systems availed themselves
Of the authority to merge and did &C.
tually merge.
4. Repeal of the existing law re.
quiring street car companies to pay
for paving between their rails and
to pay for crossing policemen, pro-
viding they actually merged.
g. Imposition of tax OF so per
cent on net earnings. providing they
actually merged.
Please observe that under No. 2
CONTINUED on Page .. Column 60