Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-18
NEW GAS RATES
WOULD Be HIGHER
FOR APARTMENTS
Those Whose Bills Are More
Than $2.10 Monthly Would
Get Cut, Company Says. &.
BILLS AND PHOTOS +.
SHOWN AT HEARING
Expert on Statistics Says Only
Three Cities Have More Apart
ments Than D. C. "a

The Washington Gas Light Co. at
today's public hearing before the Pub
lie Utilities Commission on its proposed
new rate schedule sought to show that
the increased bills which would result
would fall principally on the aparts
ment jewellers, who use gas merely as
convenience and can well afford TO
pay the extra charge demanded of
them. All of these who now have bills
OF $2l0 per month or less will have
their bills increased under the proposed
schedules. Those whose bills are higher
will have them reduced.
The first witness today was John L,
Schick, assistant controller of the CONF
pany, who brought with him elaborate
exhibits showing analyses of the bills Of
customers living in their own homes
and those living in apartments. The
general conclusion was that those who
lived in homes used enough gas to war
rant reduction, whether the homes
are of the poorer class or not, but that
the jewellers in apartments, even of the
most elite description, will have their
bills raised
Photographs Are Shown.
The exhibits were replete with photo
graphs OF the homes of the consumers.
statements as to the average rent per
AOOAAAt anu CARCAb DCoiAAAAOAAy was
coming later as to the financial CLASH
fications of the persons living in apart
ments and homes.
Typical gas bills of dwelIers in apart
ments which rent from 500 to $500
month per unit we're 700, 800 and
ZOO cubic feet, at 81 per 1000 cubic
feet per month, Mr.. Shick said Under
the new rates these monthly bills would
be increased % cents, 40 cents and IA
cents, respectively.
On the other hand typical homes had
bills of $3.50, $3.50 and $40. which
would merit reductions, under the new
schedule, of IS cents, IL cents and %
cents, respectively.
Expert on Proportion. rs
Rufus s. Lusk, president of sta
tistics corporation, testified as an expert
to the effect that Washington has pro-
portionately more apartment jewellers
than any city in the country save only
Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.
The percentage is larger, he said, than
in those sections of New York outside
of Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn.
There was a general laugh at this, head.
| ed by Charles I. Stengel, former Rep
resentative from the Brooklyn district,
who remarked that it was the first time
he had heard that Brooklyn was in New
York.
The section west Of Fourteenth street
between the Mall and Park road housed
81 per cent of the apartment units OF
the entire District, Mr.. Lusk said, and
had the largest proportion of one-roon1.
kitchenette and bath apartments. These
are occupied either by single persons or
two persons living together. The aver
age income per apartment Is high, con-
siderably higher than that of the head
of a family in most of the residence
districts.
Many Would Pay More.
Mr.. Henry had. not been on the
stand long yesterday before 1t became
apparent that to many of the COM
panys consumers the effect of the new
schedule would be to raise their monthly
bills. Some would get raised bills IN
some months and reduced bills In
others. Some would get raised bills
every month One or more monthly
bill would show an increase in the
case Of As per cent of the present
customers of the Washington Gas
Light Co., he testified OF these, about
$4,000 would get a larger bill every
month in the year. and $4,000 would
get larger bills some months and
smaller bills others. OF the last Is. 600
the increases in some monthly bills
would more than Offset the decreases
in other bills, the average net increase
being cents per month. OF the bills
decreased. the average decrease would
be 81 cents per month. Multiplying
the number OF losses and increases by
the number of customers in the re.
spective brackets he arrived at the con.
cluSion that the net result to the COM
pany in the domestic schedule would
be loss Of $150,000 in annual reve-
nue.
In justifying the company's proposed
monthly minimum bill of rs cents. for
which the consumer would be allowed
500 cubic feet of gas, he pointed out
that the customer cost to the company
of each customer was 90 cents per
month. OF this 1889 cents was made
up of general costs" and 20.45 cents
was the cost of gas.
Table Shows Increases.
He submitted the following table OF
increased bills: