Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-04
Survey to Be Made to Decide
on ACCESSIBILITY of Building
Districts Own Plant.
NAMES OF MANY FIRMS
UNDER CONSIDERATION
Street Lighting, Schools, Police
and Fire Stations and Other
Factors to Be Included.

/ An engineering expert or firm of ex-
perts probably will be retained by the
District government in the near future
to conduct the survey called for by
congress into the electric power needs
municipality operated service.
MAJ. Donald A. Dawson. Assistant
Engineer Commissioner, who has super
vision over the Electrical Department
gathering list of well known cleo
trlcal engineers in this part of the
country. from which he will recommend
appointment of the individual or firm
to make the inquiry.
Inc clause in the current appropria-
tlon act directing that such data be oh
famed is brief and does not 60 into de-
taiiS as TO the scope of the survey, but
Dlstrlct officials indicated TODAY it is
Inelr oeIlef that it only contemplated a
report on the power needs of the mn
inequality and not of the city as a whole
OF OF the Federal Government.
Will Cover Street Lights.
according to Maj. Dawson, the sur
Vey VIII cover street lighting, the light
ano power needs of the public schools
ponce stations, fire engine houses and
other public institutions.
MAJ. Dawson indicated that whoever
seiected TO make the survey will be
olrected to ascertain dollar and-cents
comparison OF the present cost of sup
plying light and power for these citv
purposes, with the estimated cost of "a
municipality owned and operated plant.
IL Is not expected that final report
on the survey will be ready for Congress
Inns Fall, but the municipal authorities
nope to have the work under way in
tlme TO report progress at the next
session.
Clause Is Quoted.
The clause in the appropriation act
under which the survey is to be made
reads as follows:
For the purpose of making a study
OF the power needs of the District of
Columbia with view to establishing a
municipality owned and operated service
therefor, including the employment. by
contract or otherwise, of such expert
and other personal services as shall be
approved by the Commissioners, without
reference to the classification act of
| 1928, as amended. and necessary Incl
dental expenses, $25, 000."
The names of dozen firms and in
dividual experts have been compiled by
Mai. DAWSON From among these he
will select five or six for further con-
Sideration. Within the next month or
six weeks he probably will make trip
to hold personal interviews with this
smaller group before recommending to
the Commissioners who should be Sc
lected. This is the same course that
was followed. Maj. Dawson said, in
connection with the study of incinerator
equipment for the District some time
ago.
Officials Were Questioned.
The item for the proposed survey of
power needs was placed IN the appro-
priation bill by the House subcommittee
in reporting the measure to the House.
The hearings before the subcommittee
did not go into a discussion of the
survey, but the subcommittee examined
local officials at some length on the
costs OF the different types of street
| lighting. They also asked some ques-
tons about lighting rates generally.
The Senate appropriations subcom-
mittee eliminated the authorization for
the power survey. but when the bill was
| taken up in the Senate, Senator Norris,
| Republican, of Nebraska. opposed the
cutting out of the item and succeeded
! in having it restored by vote of 80
| to 10.