Evening star., 1928-06-15
UTILITY EMPLOYE
TELLSOF EFFORTS
0kIahoman informs Commit.
tee He Hopes Work Has
Influenced Opinion.
BY The Associated Press.

Hope that the public utility pub
licity he had circulated In Oklahoma
had fayorably influenced public opinion
was expressed today In the testimony OF
Edward F. Mckay OF Oklahoma City
manager OF the Oklahoma Public
Utility Information Bureau, before the
Federal Trade Commission in its utility
inquiry.
After McKay's testimony the COM
mission adjourned until next Tuesday.
Mckay testified that he was former
attorney Of the Corporation Commits
sion of Oklahoma, handling legal mat
ters pertaining to utilities before he was
hired by the Oklahoma Utilities AS
sociation to direct the publicity activi-
ties in that State.
Employed by Insult.
Mckay described himself as a former
newspaper man and former owner Of
the Woodward Dispatch Of Woodward,
Okla. and member OF the Oklahoma
Editors Association. He said he was
admitted to the bar In Oklahoma IN
1910 and that for seven years he was
connected with the Corporation Com
mission, which regulates utility rates In
that State.
Mckay said he was employed by
Fred w. insult Of Tulsa, Okla. to take
over the bureau. He said the insult
group and the Byllesby group and their
subsidiaries controlled between rs and
30 per cent of the utilities In Okla
homa He said less than 40 other
companies controlled the remainder.
During the past two years. he said, his
bureau had spent approximately $34 900
each year carrying on the work, which
included disseminating publicity against
the Government construction Of Boulder
Dam and Government operation Of
Muscle Shoals.
He said that during the past three
months publicity matter issued by the
bureau amounted 10 from 2 to 10 news
paper pages q month In newspapers
that hs had seen.
Utility Speaker In Churches.
Mckay told the commission that Will
the Oklahoma Public Utility Speakers
Bureau, often used the pulpits OF Okla
homa churches for speeches.
Mckay testified that Crittenden, q
former county judge OF Haskell County.
Okla, was paid $4,000 year and ex-
penses To speak through the State, and
that he had often been requested by
ministers In Oklahoma to speak on Sum
day morning from their pulpits. He
emphaEiEed that Grittenden had made
visit To the Holy Land and said that
nc had very interesting talk on that
subject for pulpit use.
In connection with McKay's testi-
nnony on the activities OF the speakers
bureau, monthly bulletins we're intro
duced into the record, which showed
that hundreds OF thousands OF people
had been addressed In the past three
years and that many talks had been
made by utility representatives,
Mckay was questioned about the ac-
tiyiLies of the utilities association be-
fore the Oklahoma Legislature or the
revocable license bin. He was questioned
by Robert r.. Heaiy commission counsel,
about distribution Of $4,000 fund, but
Mckay said that although his organiKa-
ton favored the bill, that the $4,000
was not spent in connection With tho
Legislature. but was spent for distribu-
ton OF literature.
He was questioned on an Oklahoma
Senate investigation made In 1925 on
charges by Judd Johnson, that he had
been approached with bribe by n man
named W. o. Fleming. Mckay said
that ha did not know Fleming. but he
knew Of him and denied knowledge Of
any money being given 10 Ficming by
any Oklahoma utility organization,
Mckay also said that he did not know
whether any men In his association
worked with Legislature on the revoca-
bic license bill,
Interr0gated about W. u. Anthony
who was Identified as an employe Of the
Oklahoma Gas A Electric 90, Mckay
said that Anthony had not been en-.
pl0yed by his association, but said thai
ut one time Anthony had been pnid s20t
or $3.50 Tor some expenses he had In.
! cured.
usaly asked hlu,s about A pgrported