The Washington times., 1923-02-17
KELLER DENIES
CRITICISM Of
PUBLIC
Commissioner Says Citizens
Association Misconstrued
His Remarks.


speech. read before the American
Electric Railway Association con-
ference in the New Willard yester-
day, was misconstrued by members
Of the Central Citizens Association.
The association last night voted to
ask General Beach to transfer
Colonel Keller.
"I made no criticism Of either the
public Of Washington or of any in
dividuals Of the city," Colonel Keller
said. when learned today of the
construction members Of the Central
Association had put on my remarks,
was astonished.
The point which was seeking to
bring out before the railway men
yesterday was simply this: That
street railway companies should lay
their cards on the table. I think
they should let the public know their
exact condition and endeavor to
stimulate in the public mind belief
in street railway policies.
Urged Square Dealing.
IF there was any criticism at
all in my remarks, 1t was against
street railways in general. was
arguing that public utilities must
treat the public fairly and squarely:
must seek to educate the public
to have faith in their policies, and
their policies must be accompanied
by works confirming assertions of
good faith"
Colonel Keller, who is thoroughly
acquainted with the local situation
and whose opinions carry much
weight with other public utilities
commissions throughout the coun.
try, has been III with the grip for
the past few days. Although weak,
he came to the District Building
and worked most OF today.
The colonel's duties as District
Commissioner and Public Utilities
Commissioner are many and varied,
and require more than eight hours
work each day. He spends many
OF his Sundays In. his office. AS
chairman Of the Public Utilities
Commission, he keeps in constant
touch with the conditions in every
public utility corporation in Wash.
ington.
Serve Without Compensation.
''Under the law, the Public Utili.
ties Commission of the District Of
Columbia consists OF three members
the Commissioners Of the District
OF Columbia, who, when serving as
public utilities commissioners, per-
form this added duty without fur
ther compensation" Colonel Keller
therefore, the office OF public utility
, commissioner is not only without
honor in this as in other jurisdic.
tons, but 1t is also without profit.
Be that as it may, our local Pub.
lie Utilities Commission has a very
compact situation to deal with.
Jurisdiction is limited to the
boundaries of the District Of Co.
lumbia, which, containing as it does
only sixty-nine square miles, OBJ
viouSly includes a field SO limited
that 1t is possible for the Commits
sioners and the permanent personnel
Of the commission itself to keep
thoroughly informed in regard to
prevailing conditions. For this rea-
son, IL for no other, theoretically,
at least, the public utility situation
in the District of Columbia ought
perhaps to be more satisfactory
than in those places where a COM
and take note Of the sometimes
variable circumstances that affect
the operation of the various public
utilities and to a greater or less ex-
tent their well-being and that Of the
public.
Problems Came with War.
Until after the war had been in
progress for some considerable
time, no important public utility
problem, other than the valuation
mess in the District Of Columbia,
had arisen. Since then, however,
we have had the same experience
as other communities. Mounting
costs have necessarily compelled
the fixing of increased rates: and,
while neither street car fares nor
any other public utility rates are
now at the high points, they are
still considerably above the pre-
war rates, and to that extent they
afford play for the operation Of
that human weakness or fallibility
to which I have referred.
"For some reason or other, diff
cult to understand, human beings
otherwise reasonable seem to take
a most unreasonable attitude in re-
gard to public utility companies,
particularly street car companies.
It may possibly be because pay
ment Of car fare is cash trans
action that takes place two or more
times every day and that the per.
Torrance of this cash transaction
causes irritation which its frequent
repetition exaggerates.
Prey for DemagOgues.
ain any event, people who would
hesitate to ask merchant to sell
his goods habitually below cost
seem to feel that there is nothing
out of the way in demanding that
street car company shall furnish
service at cost or less. This mental
attitude, hard as 1t Is to explain,
is exaggerated by the demagogue
whose stock in trade 1t Is to attack
public utility rates without ref.
erence to their fundamental fair
ness. The public mind IL seemingly
never properly adjusted 80 far as
concerns street car rates. and it
seems difficult to get q hearing be-
fore the public at which the under.
lying facts may be fairly set forth
and safely left to the sense of fair
! ness of the whole body Of we'll.
meaning citizens.
"Of course, the situation here is
no different than 1t Is in any other
city, and I assume that every
| regulatory commission like ours
finds the same difficulties in the
way Of securing an informed atti-
tude Of mind on the part Of the
public generally Yet this is the
| only cure for many Of the diff
culties that beset the arrangements