Evening star., 1932-05-12
Effort to Remove Chief De-
MED by 0ut-of- Town
Stock interests.
SESSION CALLED OFF
ON COMMISSION ORDER
Rumors of Rift Follow Conference
on Control Issue-S110,000
Offer to Quit Reported.

Reports that out-of-town interests
controlling the Washington Gas Light
Co. are planning to oust George A. G.
Wood as president, circulated in public
utility circles today as the board of
directors called off a special meeting
at the direction of the Public Utilities
Commission.
The meeting was scheduled to have
taken place at IL o'clock noon, but be-
fore that time the commission COM
municated with Wilton j. Lambert.
general counsel for the company, and
notified him Of an order previously
issued by the commission forbidding a
session OF the directors. Lambert assured
the commission the session would not
be held.
$4,000 Offer Denied
The purpose of the meeting was
veiled in secrecy, but an official of the
company indicated several hours before
it was called of that an important an
nouncement might be Forthcoming.
One of the reports was to the effect
that Wood had been offered $4,000
by the out-of-town interests to cancel
not be reached for a statement. How
ever, Lambert denied emphatically
that there Is any basis for the rumors.
Unless Wood accepts the reported
offer and cancels his contract, it was
said he cannot be legally removed, in
view OF the recent order of the COM
mission forbidding voting of the ma
Jority stock. This order affects l09,17
CT the 10000 shares of stock outstand-
ing, which is controlled by out-of-town
interests. The order was designed to
wrest control Of the company from the
out-of-town interests.
Wood is reported to be the highest
PAID public utility executive in the Dis
tricV' His salary Is $4,000 year.
Stormy Session Barred.
Rumors Of rift in the relations be-
tween Wood and some of the owners
grew out of a brief but stormy session
OF the stockholders Monday, which was
adjourned because of the lack of a
quorum.
According to Julian Pierce, stock
holder who attended the meeting,
man and the official minutes altered
against his strenuous objection.
Pierce said the stockholders repre-
sented at the meeting overrode Wood
and had stricken from the records an
announcement by the gas company
president that he had been served with
copy Of the commissions recent order
forbidding voting of the majority stock
The action of the stockholders was
interpreted in public utility circles as
indicating that the out-of-town inter-
ests controlling the gas company pro-
posed to ignore the commissions order.
BY removing Woods statement from the
minutes, it was pointed out, none of the
stockholders will be officially advised
of the order.
Pierce Gives Details.
Details of the meeting, as outlined by
Mr.. Pierce, follow:
George A. G. Wood, president of the
company, called the meeting to order
He asked the secretary of the company
to give him certified list of the stock
holders qualified to vote He then stated
that he had been served with an order
by the Public Utilities Commission pro-
hib1ting the owners of 109,176 shares of
the 10000 shares of the company from
voting at the meeting. He thereupon
declared the meeting adjourned until
May 18 because of the lack of a
quorum of the stock
In the meantime Wilton ]. Lam
bert, general counsel for the gas COM
pany, walked across the office and
conferred with Arthur Dean. said to
represent Sullivan g. Cromwell. New
York attorneys for the Chase-Harris-
Forbes-Pierce group. officially charged
by the Public Utilities Commission
with having obtained control of the
local gas system by evasion of the law.
Immediately after Mr.. Wood had
adjourned the meeting Mr.. Lambert
asked Mr.. Wood to reconsider his ad-
journment decision. This Mr.. Wood
refused to do. Mr.. Lambert then said
he would appeal from Mr.. Woods de-
cision. Mr.. Wood said there was moth
ing to appeal. that majority of the
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