Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-11
Gordon Makes Reply.

| Mr.. Gordon attempted to answer
! his opponent in single opening para
| graph of his 20-minute speech when
| he said:
g., IF you would obtain the same rates
| for electric power here which prevail
| in Ottawa. l would suggest that first
YOU move the District of Columbia
up within 200 miles Of Niagara Falls.
or if YOU found that climate too Sc
we're. bring Niagara in closer proX.
unity with the District: second that
| YOU ask Congress to pass a law eN-
empting the Potomac Electric Power
! co. from taxes. then YOU would ask
! Congress to pass another law permit
ting the local company 10 run it's
wires all over tho Capital on surface
poles rather than in the expensive
COnduits now required by law: and
Third, you would ask Congress to pass
a law requiring the consumers 10 pay
| the cost of installing the wires
| throughout The city"
| One half the cost of running wires
to the farms OF Canada is paid out of
the general tax fund, Mr., Gordon said.
| He declared that by virtue Of these
drastic differences between the condi-
tons under which the Canadian and
the Washington companies operate,
the variance of rates is produced.
Mr.. Sharpe after expressing his dis
appointment at the inability OF VIII
liam +. Ham, president of the local
electric company. to he present de
clared he believed the rates offered by
his company We're as cheap as those
offered in any city Of the United
! States He characterized the cOndi-
tons existing in Washington as pecu-
liarly different from those Of most To-
caltes naming among these the law
| requiring underground installation OF
cables,
Referring to water development for
this locality he said his company
owned tract of the Great Falls land
and he asserted his organization is
willing. as it has always been willing,
to approve any company or any munic-
ipality developing power project
there IL it can produce power by
hydro-eIectric method more cheaply
than the Potomac Electric Power Co.
can under it's present system.
Urges Public Ownership.
Speaking for public ownership, Sen
! ator Howell declared that an eco
nomic saving of electric current rates
could be effected by the development
of the Great Falls project only if the
people OF Washington owned the plant.
| ownership in the operation of the
| water gas and ice plants of Oma ha
| Neb., all of which he said resulted in
| definite saving to the consumers OF
the respective products.
In forum which followed questions
were asked of Mr.. Gordon and Mr..
Sharpe, ranging from pertinent in
quiries into the adminiStrattO OF the
| Potomac Electric Power Co.'S business
to demands concerning the source Of
! the statistics which the two speakers
gave in their addresses.
A feature Of the meeting was the
presentation by several of the persons
in attendance of their electric bill re-
ceipts which were computed to show
| the difference between the electric
rates of Washington and those of OF
| taWa
When Miss Amy IRavitt presented
her bill she declared she would he
willing to pay the Potomac Electric
! Power co. twice its rates if it would
| result in the preservation of the
| scenic beauties of the Great Falls
gorge.
Mrs. Edward u. Costisan, president
of the league. presided at the meet
ing. which was preceded by a dinner,
while Mrs. Edward Heating was
chairman of the debate between Mr..
King and Mr.. Gordon. Mrs. Heating
introduced also Senator Howell and
the other speakers.