Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-19
Bride and Assistant Decline
to Reveal Information
Gathered in Probe.
WILL WAIT FOR FINDINGS
OF JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
Status of Washington and Suburb
an Companies and Central Corpora
ton Covered in Inquiry.

William A. Roberts, assistant cor
poration counsel, announced today that
he expected to complete this afternoon
an exhaustive report on the result of
his investigation into the ownership
of the washington Gas Light Co. and
its subsidiaries.
The report will be based on informa-
ton Mr.. Roberts uncovered in Boston
and New York during his recent FIVE
day trip. In Boston he searched the
records of the Washington and Sub
urban Companies, a Massachusetts
trust, which recently took over con-
troll of The gas properties in Wash
ington, Alexandria and Hyattsville In
New York he made inquiries into the
relationship between this holding COM
pany and the Central Public Service
Corporation which is now managing
the gas plants.
Counsel Silent.
Mr. Roberts, however, has declined
to make his finding public, and Cor
poration Counsel William w. Bride,
who is directing the investigation for
the Public Utilities Commission, also IS
reticent about the developments. Mr.
Bride said he would not reveal any of
the information until the Bureau of
Investigation of the Department of JUS
tice finishes the inquiry it is making
into the high finance involved in the
transfer of the gas properties at his re-
quest. The Department of Justice re-
port and the one prepared by Mr.. Rob-
erts, he declared. will present a COM
plete picture of the situation, and he is
therefore reluctant to discuss any of
the developments until all phases of the
probe are concluded.
Neither Mr.. Bride nor Mr.. Roberts
would deny or affirm if any informa-
ton had been uncovered to show
whether the Central Public Service
Corporation owns any of the stock of
the Washington gas companies. The
Central has denied it owned any of
the gas stock, declaring that its rela-
tionship with the Washington COM
panies involves only their management
Mr.. Roberts had before him today an
advertisement by Harris Forbes g. Co.
which appeared in a New York news
paper advertising the bonds of the
Central Public Service Corporation and
its principal subsidiaries. The Wash
ington gas properties were not men
| toned.
Tells of Expansion.
The advertisement contained a brief
outline of the history of the Central
Public Service Corporation, and pint
ed out the advantages of group man.
| agement Of public utility corporation
| About gas, it had this to say:
Believing in the continuance of the
! large increase in demand for gas service
during recent years, and in the fur
| Their growth and development in the
uses of gas, the corporation Central
| Public Service) has laid emphasis in
| its expansion program on the addition
| of a number Of important gas distfib-
uting systems to its strong nucleus Of
electric properties"
The advertisement also declared that
! the consolidated net earnings of the
| corporation and subsidiaries for the Il
| months ended November 80 last, were
nearly S18,500,000. Due to the partic-
ularly rapid growth Of the system over
! the past two years. it said, important
| economies incident to consolidation
are not fully reflected in the current
| earnings.