Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-12
CITIZENS COUNSEL
IN UTILITIES CASES
WEAK, BELL HOLDS
Says Public Loses Heavily
Through Inadequate Rep
resentatiOn.

That the public had not been fairly
represented in hearings before the
Public Utilities Commission or in cases
where the public utilities have car
ried to court their contests against
rates fixed by the Utilities Commission
was emphatically expressed by Engi-
neer Commissioner Bell when hear
ings We're opened today on the Blan-
ton scent street car bill before sub
committee of the House District COM
mtttee. headed by Representative Fred
\. Zihlman, Republican, of Maryland.
Maj. Bell. the only witness before
the committee said that the Public
Utilities Commission, which is ident
cal with the District Commissioners,
is not now physically able properly to
transact the duties of public utilities
commissioners because Overcrowded
with other work. He explained that
the people are not fairly represented
because an attorney at $1,000 a year
cannot be expected to cope against
legal talent costing 500 900, such as
is retained by the public utility cor
porations.
Urges Commission Change.
Maj. Bell urged support of the leg
islation now pending before the
Budget Bureau which would enlarge
the Public Utilities Commission so as
to include an engineer skilled in Valu-
alton accounting and a we'll qualified
attorney. Incidentally. he remarked
that if the people of Washington had
been represented by adequate legal
talent during the seven years of liti-
cation which resulted recently in a
compromise over Potomac Electric
Power Co. rates. restoring to the peo-
pie 50, 600 600, he believes a much bet
ter settlement could have been had.
At the opening of the hearing today
Mr.. Blanton, Democrat, of Texas. au-
thor of the 5 cent carfare bill. which
proposes to throw the street railway
companies in the District back to
their original charters. proposed joint
hearings with a similar subcommittee
from the Senate District committee.
Representative Joseph Whitehead,
Democrat, of Virginia, raised the
point that this legislation is not be-
fore a Senate subcommittee and Mr..
Blanton was only one voting for a
joint hearing.
Reads City Heads Letter.
Mr. Whitehead read into the record
the letter of the District Commission
ers in opposition to Mr.. Blanton's Bill.
Representative Reid of Illinois, Re
publican. suggested that Mr.. Blanton,
as author of the bill, make a state
ment.
Mr., Blanton repeated what he has
previously said in a letter to the Dis
trict Commissioners, in a statement
before the House District committee
and yesterday on the floor of the
House. He said his whole purpose
in making this fight is to restrict
the two principal street railway COM
panies in the District, the Capital
Traction and the Washington Rail-
way and Electric Co, to their char
ters. He said that the Supreme Court
Of the United States has held that a
charter is a contract between the
corporation and the people.
Wants Public Guarded.
IF fair record is made" continued
Mr.. Blanton, mot such a one as is
filled up with the street railways side
of the case, as was the letter which
the District Commissioners have sub
mitted to the House District commit
tee, / believe it would show that the
street railway companies could oper-
ate at profit, while giving street car
riders service, at cents a ride There
should be somebody to represent the
peoples side al hearings and let the
issue in regard to the rates stand or
fall on a true record
Mr.. Blanton said he would like to
show the street railway officials and
members of Congress motion pictures
of how workmen for the street rail-
ways loaf on repair jobs. He de-
scribed how he himself had seen gangs
of so standing around talking. Mr..
Reid interrupted to ask him If that
was not Just how the people judge
Congress"
Mr.. Blanton argued that the street
car riders are paying for that idle
ness. He quoted from the Commits
sioners' letter to show that there. is
a material dropping off every year in
the number of passengers. Many
persons are walking rather than pay
an Scent car fare, he said.
If the scent fare bill is carried, he
predicted that there will be twice as
many people riding and that instead
of cents the street railway com
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