Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-19
Ira /. Reynolds to Do Cost,
Appraisal and inventory
Work.
UTILITIES COMMISSION
SURVEY PROGRESSES
Inspections Of Street Car Prop.
critics to Require More Than
Year.

The Public Utilities Commission yes
terday announced the appointment Of
Ira L. Reynolds, formerly on the engi-
neering stan Of the Illinois Public Util-
tiles Commission, as an appraisal en-
gineer to do cost, appraisal and inven-
tory work on the valuation Of the two
street ear companies recently ordered
by the commission.
Mr. Reynolds has been assigned a
desk in the ONCE of Peoples Counsel
Richmond B. Keech, and has begun the
preliminary work of collecting data
costs of various materials used in street
car plants
Preliminary work on the valuation
has been In progress for several weeks
by the commission ONCE force.
The first thing done was to get out
inventories of the companies property
made in the first valuation case from
1913 to 1919. and to attempt to segre-
gate such parts of 1t as may still be
disable. Since that inventory was
taken some Of the items of property
such as rolling stock and trackage has
remained practically unchanged, and
the old inventory can be checked In
the field more easily than making
new one.
Maps Being Prepared.
Maps are being prepared showing
the location Of the various properties
OF the two companies to be used in the
later field survey. The commissions
engineers and accountants are trying
to work out q uniform system OF in
ventory units. During the first in-
ventory the two companies and the
commission often had divergent views
as TO whether parts Of the under
ground construction should be claSSed
units, with resultant difnculty In inter-
preting the results arrived at through
different inventories.
The same work Is being done by the
two companies. The Capital Traction
Co. has hired an outside engineer 70 d.
rect its valuation work, which will be
done by It's own staff, but he has not
yet reported for duty. The Washington
Railway dE Electric Co. has not mad-
any outside appointment.
TWO more engir1eers win be hired b.
the Public Utilities Commission later
Field parties viii be organized to mako
inspections and TO check property ac-
tually existing against that shown in
records of the commission making the
necessary corrections.
Survey to Require Year.
This work, Commissioner Harleigh
H. Hardman said yesterday, would
probably take more than q year.
although that time could be cut short
If necessary by hiring Of additional
engineers. The cost of making &
valuation by the commission Is borne
by assessments levied against the two
companies. These assessments are
later charged to operating expenses by
the companies over periods of months
fixed by the commission.
Mr.. Reynolds is the third man on
the valuation work formerly connected
with the Illinois commission. Burt H.
Peck, recently appointed chief engineer
of the commission, was formerly q
member Of the Illinois commissions
engineering stair and Commissioner
Hardman was formerly member OF
the Illinois commission. Peck, how
ever, has permanent post as the COM
missions engineer, while Reynolds was
the first man to be employed solely for
the street car valuation work and his
employment will cease when the valua-
ton Is completed.