The Washington times., 1921-02-02

II Dsas2
quently has to go to his office with
out a cup of coffee because / cannot
get the coffee boiled in time for him.
why. only recently. was cooking
a ham-I though 1 was cooking 1t.
1t was on the stove several hours.
couple of boys and told them to
build q bonfire in the yard. over
which I finally cooked. the ham.
"And in the evening, for instance.
My husband, probably like you COM
missioners, enjoys reading the even
ing papers. This has been impossible
for him in our home. Why. he could
never, until the last month or so,
get enough light to read BY"
"The gas company has us by the
throat" declared Col. II. Martin Will
liams, also of Riverdale. 1.-The gas
is of execrable quality. We have
been forced to use the coal stove to
cook our meals. and the flow of gas
has not been sufficient to read by"
Have you ever complained about
the gas to the company?" asked
Chairman Maloy.
So"H
until 1 got tired complaining" re-
Joined the colonel.
"They sent me a bill for a months s
gas service for So and something"
continued Col Williams. "I COM
planned the bill was exorbitant. They
told me II / did not pay the bill the
supply would be cut off. I asked
that they have my meter re-read.
They told me it cost money to send
a man to re-read the meter. Finally,
they sent the man. He figured my
bill was $3.20 for seven weeks, which
included the months bill of 50. Can
you beat it?"
Charles w. Nichols testified that the
flow Of air in his gas main was so
strong, it blew a pebble six feet.
Because of the big gas bills 1 was
receiving" said Nichols, Il demanded
my meter be inspected and later had
new meter put in. But with no
results--the bills still came in high.
I had my service pipe disconnected
from the street main. I put a pebble
in the main pipe and 1t was thrown
six feet away. After the pipes had
been re-adjusteA and connected, L
tried to light the gas on the stove.
The flow of air was so strong that
1t blew out four matches before L
succeeded in lighting the gas
STANDS UP FOR COMPANY
Scores Of women gave similar tes-
timony. There was only one woman
in the entire. audience who had a
good word for the gas company. She
was Mrs. AMOS Norton, whose hus-
band, she said, formerly was fore
man in one of the company depart
ments. Mrs. Norton was hacked by
the audience and with flushed
cheeks she shouted that her critics
were Ignorant" that she "consid-
cred the source" and did not bring
along a hammer to knock"
you've got to consider the source
of this criticism she declared heated
". Undaunted, however, by the jeers
and laughter that enlivened the meet
ing, which had been conducted sober
Iy up to the time. Mrs. Norton de-
clared she had no complaint against
the quality or service or gas the
company furnished her.
Mrs. d. A. Meyers, Of Mt. Rainier
declared that her gas bills increased
so much that she had to order the
meter taken out. ut took them q
month to take the meter out said
Mrs. Meyers. land during the month
I never used any gas. But they sent
me, Z Bill for $3.50 for gas I had never
used"
"Why, that's nothing" declared
Mrs. Myra M. Holmes, as she leaped
to her feet. "The first month + lived
In Riverdale I got a bill for is cents
I hurried to pay 1t, telling the clerk
at the gas company's office that I'd
better pay 1t before more was added
to It." -
told mo. Wen make II up next
month And. sure enough. they made
,z4s." ' ~
DEFENDS GOLDSMITH.
Chairman Maloy defended Joseph
8. Goldsmith, assistant general coun-
sci of the Maryland Public Service
Commission, whose duty 1t is to rep
resent the people at the public hear
ings against corporations. 1t had
been intimated by Eagan that the
people were not being represented
by the counselor as they should be
Maloy said that Goldsmith was pres
ent at the meeting and would take
up their cudgels to their satisfac-
tion.
After the testimony was taken, the
meeting adjourned until a later day
when another conference will be
held in Baltimore. Maloy asked
Charles J. Beckman, president OF the
Mt Rainier Citizens Association
who presided at the meeting, to ap-
point n committee to take part In
the future conferences OF the com
mission on the gas question In Bal
timore.