Evening star., 1924-07-21
". c. ALLEN RESIGNS
ASLOCAL OFFICIAL
Public Utilities Secretary Go
ing to Position With
Private Firm.

Walter =. Allen resigned today az
executive secretary to the Public
Utilities Commission to accept an en-
slneering position with the Welsbach
street Lighting Company
r. V. Fisher, chief accountant OF the
commission, was later appointed to AL
the vacancy. The promotion of Mr.
Fisher, which was made on recommend
alton OF Commissioner Bell, was in ac-
cord with the policy of the Commits
sioners to promote from the ranks those
who have recognized ability.
When he leaves the commission on
August Is Mr.. Allen will have rounded
out thirty years of continuous service
IN the District government twenty
two years of which was spent as
superintendent of the electrical de-
partment.
Advance In Salary.
The ONCE of secretary to the UtiI-
tiles Board. which Mr.. Allen has held
since 1916, pays $4,000 a year. Al
though the salary offered him by the
Weisbach Company was not disclosed
Mr.. Allen said he would receive more
than he could ever hope to get in the
government service, even under re-
classification"
The Welsbach Company up TO this
time has specialized in gas street
lighting, but a statement issued by
Mr. Allen reveals that the firm in
clude electric lighting, with the for
mer secretary to the commission in
charge of that branch of the work.
Record in Service.
Mr.. Allen was taken into the en-
gineer department of the District in
1894 and placed in charge OF street
lamps. In 1904 an electrical depart
ment was created in the District
government and Mr.. Allen became the
city's first electrical engineer.
That year marked the beginning OF
strict regulation of electrical wiring,
and since that time the rapid develop
ment Of electricity for household pur-
poses has made that one OF the bus
lest and most important branches of
the engineer department.
Before the electrical department
was created. however, Mr.. Allen was
directed to inspect the wiring in all
theaters following the IriquoiS Thea
ter fire in Chicago
When the Public Utilities Commits
sion was created in 1918 there was
no position for an executive secretary
and the work OF the commission was
directed by Capt ]. L. Schley, an as
the position of executive secretary
was created in 1916 Mr.. Allen was
promoted to it and Warren B. Hadley
succeeded him as head of the cleo
trical department
Part in Valuation.
Mr.. Allen stepped into utilities
work just as the task of valuing the
physical property of all the public
service corporations was being
launched. and he played an important
part in that undertaking.
The valuations were hardly completed
when prices began to 60 up as a result
of the war. and this brought on a period
of several years during which the street
railway, gas, electric light and telephone
companies were almost constantly be-
fore the commission or changes in rates
to meet the abnormal conditions This
placed a heavy burden on the Utilities
Commission staff
While rate cases have not been as nu.
merouS in the past few years. there have
been a number of Investigations result
ing in reductions in the fares and tolls
that were charged during the war.
The most recent task in which Mr.
Allen has been engaged for the commits
sion was the fixing of rules to govern
the handling of the question of deprecia-
ton in the properties OF the utilities and
its effect on rates.