Evening star., 1926-04-07
BILL ASKS DISTINCT
UTILITIES BOARD
Action Deferred by Commit
tee-Body Would Have a
Peoples Counsel.

Provision for an entirely new PUBIC
Utilities Commission, distinct from the
Board of District Commissioners and
with a peoples counsel. is made in
bill presented to the House District
committee today by direction of the
subcommittee on public utilities.
The committee was ready TO act
favorably on the measure, but action
was deferred for one week in order
that the bill might be printed and
studied carefully by all members of
the committee before being urged for
action in the House.
The bill was drafted by Chairman
Zhlman in conference with the legis-
lative drafting service. The commit
tee today directed that a declaration
in the bill should he enlarged so as
to apply to all public utilities ard not
directly to the street railway com
panies.
Provides Varied Terms.
The bill provides that the Public
Utilities Commission of the District
of Columbia shall be composed of
three commissioners. TO be appointed
by the President, by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate"
OF the three commissioners first ap-
pointed one shall be for term OF
one year, one for a term of two
years and one for a term of three
years, commencing in July. 1926.
The terms of Office of all successors
shall be for three years. Each COM
missioner would receive salary of
$500 a year. The commission would
he required to meet at least biennially.
Provision Is made that mo commits
sioner shall during his, term of Office
hold any other public Office" The
bill provides that any vacancy in the
board shall not impair tie right of
the remaining commissioners to ex-
ercise full powers and that any in
vestigation and hearing may be made
by any commissioner whose acts and
orders. when approved by the COM
mission, shall be deemed to he the
order of the commission.
The Zihlman bill provides for ap-
pointment by the President of an ad.
ditional counsel of the commission to
be known as the peoples counsel,
whose duty II shall be:
To represent and appear for the
people at all hearings of the commits
sion and in all judicial proceedings In
volving the interests of users of tho
products or service furnished by the
Public Utilities.
To represent ana appear for petit
TONERS before the commission for the
purpose of securing lower rates or i'm
proved public service.
May investigate the service given
by the rates charged by and the valu.
alton of the properties of the public
utilities.
The term Of office of the peoples
counsel shall he four years al a salary
of $500. No person shall be eligible
for appointment as peoples counsel
who has not been a bona fide resident
of the District continuously for at
least Ave years Immediately preceding
the date of his appointment, or who
has not been engaged in the actual
practice of law before the Supreme
Court of the District for a period of
at least FIVE years.
The bill declares il to be the sense
of the Congress that the Public Utili-
ties Commission should, after investi-
CATION, make such recommendation
to Congress as it may deem advisable
and take such other action as 1t might
deem important with the purposes in
view of securing improved services,
establishing lower rates for public
utility service and establishing a half
fare for school children on street rail-
ways and motor busses In the Dis
tt.ict