Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-25
Chairman Gibson of HOUSE
District Subcommitte Also
Will Quiz Donovan.
CITY COMMISSIONERS
DISCUSS SITUATION
Director OF Congressional Investi-
CATION Reveals How Informa-
ton Was Obtained.

With the full Board Of District Com
missioners present. awaiting any 40
ditional disclosures on traffic signal
light contracts, the Gibson subconl-
mittee of the House District commit
tee at 8 o'clock this afternoon went
into session, prepared to follow up ths
sensational disclosures of Wednesday
night which resulted in suspension Of
Traffic Engineer 1. c.. Moller yester-
day by calling Traffic Director NJ. o.
Eldridge to the stand. Donovan also
was expected to testify.
While the afternoon hearing was in
the off1ng, the Commissioners were In
a closed session and additional light
was being shed on the case.
Chairman Gibson explained that the
of the subcommittee
has proceeded in an above
board manner with the knowledge of
the District officials, and that it has
been conducted entirely through Off
cial channels with the cooperation of
District and Federal employees.
Source Of Information.
in the Traffic Bureau were turned over
to the representatives Of the Bureau
Of Efficiency in the orderly course Of
the investigation by Traffic Director
Eldridge and were transcribed" Mr..
Gibson said. THAT Is where we got
the information about Mr.. Moller's
with the Grouse Kinds
Co.
81, as chairman of the committee.
checked up on the activities of the
agent Of the Grouse Kinds Co.. Mr..
Moller and Mr.. Graham &c. C. Graham.
president of the National Electric
Supply Coz. 1 called by telephone the
room in the Washington Hotel where
these men were in conference and To-
Gated the three of them there together
some weeks ago."
Other developments early today
were:
Traffic Director Eldridge disclosed
books containing the original notes on
letters from the traffic directors Office
to investigators OF the Bureau of
Efficiency early in December at the
time the discovery was made that
some OF Moller's letters to the Grouse
Kinds Co. were missing from the files
From these shorthand books and
notes. Director Eldridge surmised to-
day, came the information which aided
the House subcommittee in its ex-
animation Of Col. Moller despite the
fact that he had taken letters from
the files and kept them at his house.
lights on local highways has been
postponed because OF the
confusion in the traffic directors
Office incident to the suspension of
Col. Moller, the engineer who would
have charge Of the details OF install
ing the lights. Bids from seven COM
petitors are in the hands of Director
Eldridge for such lights. but he said
he had not yet examined them care
fully. They were awaiting analysis
by Col. Moller at the time the Capitol
Hill bombshell broke with force on
the traffic directors office.
An inspection Of specifications In
contracts for signal lights dis
closed today a clause STIMULATING no
bids would be received from bidders
not having installations OF such lights
in 10 different cities: each such In
stallation to be of automatic interlock
type, controlling not less than 10
This clause was re-
ferred to by Chairman Gibson yester
day as one which practically limited
to the Grouse Kinds or
ganization at the time the first two
for lights were entered into.
Moller Still Silent.
Col Moller continued silent today
regarding his suspension. He said he
felt a statement by him at this time
would throw no additional light on
the situation In view of the full dis
closures made by him at the subcom-
mittee hearing Wednesday night.
Traffic Director Eldridge admitted
that the loss OF Col. Moller wrt1N
seriously impede and, in fact, effec-
lively stop execution of plans which
had been placed In Moller's hands in
the Office of the traffic director. The
fact that Moller was suspended and
not discharged pending further in
cast such a veil OF I'M
over the future incumbency
Of the post of traffic engineer that
much of the work will be left in status
Iuo until the uncertainty is cleared
away. Mr.. Eldridge intimated.
Questioned directly concerning a re-
port that stenographic notes had sup
,lied the investigators working at the
direction of the Gibson subcommittee
With valuable data for the examine
ion of Col. Moller, Mr.. Eldridge this
,ver all the shorthand note books to
he investigators
You see," he said, I'VE preserve
LII our stenographic notes and file
hem away for reference. So when
he Bureau Of Efficiency stepped into
he Office early in December, made
III items available to them, and these
totes and notebooks, j know, were
among the things turned over to
hem. I surmise that Is where the
opies Of the letters dictated by Col.
doller and yet not found in the files
we're obtained"
First Contract Awarded I'm 1925.
A bird's-eye view of Washington
ignal traffic light system discloses
hat the first contract for signal lights
vas awarded June Is. 1925. calling
or total expenditure for lights and
of 50 .048, exclusive of the
ost Of installation. This provided
or 80 post-type signal lights and two
our-way signals, as well as for switch
timing switches and other
Col. Molier admitted on the stand
hat only IS Of these signal lights
YER arrived, the difference being
made up in other equipment. The
econd contract called for 4S single
ace signals and other signals, at a
otal cost Of $S,S4S. and was awarded
fay II, 1926. This contract included
lso nine flashing beacons.
Col. Moller admitted on the stand
hat several items listed in this con-
ract had been received in the first
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