Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-22
GAS CUT EXPECTED
IN NEW SCHEDULE,
FEDERATION HEARS
Wood Tells Citizens Proposal
to Be Presented to UtiIi-
ties Group Soon.
SAYS OLD REDUCTION
PLAN DRAWN IN HURRY
Measure Opposed by Associations
Reported Prepared Quickly on
Demand of Official.

A new schedule, calling for substan-
tial reductions in the Districts gas
rates, will be presented to the Public
Utilities Commission within a very few
days, George A. G. Wood, president of
the Washington Gas Light Co., Prom
Used last night. He was speaking to the
Federation of Citizens Associations, as
sembled in special meeting in the
board room of the District Building.
Mr. Wood said that the schedule
would be filed soon enough to allow
action by the commission before Con-
gress reassembles, which indicates that
the company has given up Its idea of
waiting for congressional action upon
It's bill asking tor merger with the
Georgetown Gas Light Co. before put
ting its proposed lower rates into eff
feet.
AS to his last proposition for lower
rates, which the organized citizens
greeted with such unconcealed hostility,
Mr.. Wood waved 1t depreciatingly aside
It was prepared, he said, in a great
hurry-in 48 hourS-to meet the demand
of public 4efficial who seemed to have
no faith in the companys promise of
reduction OF rates If Congress acted
favorably on its merger bill The
citizens objection to the old schedule
was that while reductions would be
made in the bills of large consumers,
those of small consumers would be in
creased. H. E. Young, Iowa-ThomaS
Circle, asked Mr.. Wood If the first
schedule wasn't bluff Mr.. Wood re-
piled that he had never. made a bluff in
his life
viii Build New Plant.
Not alone selfish motives led him to
uproot himself from a quarter of a
century of work in the cool hreezes of
Eastern New England to come to WASH
ington, he said. There was also the
romance of being able to give to the
Capital of the country the finest gas
service IN the country. This he pro-
posed to accomplish by setting up a
by-product plant. in which the gas will
be distilled directly from coal, and
building up market for the residual
coke. Special encouragement viii be
given TO the Summer user of gas in
the way of special rates for gas water
heaters, and other scientific Develop
ments which will be made plain when
she new scheduled Is published.
Public utilities matters occupied
large share of the meeting. William
NICK. Clayton, chairman of the fedora
tons Public Utilities Committee, sought
and obtained permission for his COM
mittee to- represent the federation this
Summer before theH Public Utilities
Commission during the federation's
Summer recess. He served notice that
he would move for q reduction in tele-
phone rates; for half fares for school
children en- the transportation system;
for abolition of pay intercompany
transfers on the street car system; and
for better service from the street car
companies to which he believes the
public Is entitled now that the COM
panies have been granted the 10-cent
fare.
The meeting was called to get vote
on whether the federation wanted to
enter block of SO automobiles in the
flremen's parade on Labor day. This
question led to an hour and a half of
acrimonious debate. Two schools of
thought developed. One was strongly
in favor of the idea. The other looked
at the matter from a different angle
and opined that the sight of ~63 AUTO
mobiles in line in q parade would be so
dull as to give the public the wrong
impression of the federation.
Committee to Decide.
'Why can light cigar and sit on
my front porch" said Mr. Clayton,
land see a. parade of automobiles much
longer than that pass before my cigar
goes out"
When the membership seemed hope
1essly divided, a compromise resolu-
ton was put through leaving the de-
cision up to a committee to be selected
by the president ;ergt. A. j. Bar
gagni. marshal of the parade, invited
the federation to take part.
The federation adopted a resolution
of appreciation of the services of Col.
William B. Ladue, former District En-
gineer Commissioner, and of regret at
his transfer. Many delegates rose to
pay tribute to the departed Commits
sioner when the resolution was intro
duced by William A. Roberts, Conduit
road.
The federation also adopted a reso-
luton asking the Commissioners to
water the young street trees, which are
being killed by The drought.