Evening star., 1933-05-28
DC. SHARE ASKED
. in PUBLIC WORKS
Citizens Federation Backs
+ Senate Amendment to
Relief Measure.

ton of public highways ana relatet
projects was urged upon Congress las
night by the Federation OF Citizens AS
sociations.
AS the bill passed the House the Dis
trict was excluded from the road
construction section of the mammoth
industrial recovery bill, and the Senate
ALREADY has been asked to consider ar
amendment to include the Nationa
In other action taken last night at 6
special session at the District Building
the federation went on record favorlne
reduction Of the retail milk prices II
the District to a.~level comparable tt
that Of other large cities, and COM
nended the Senate District Committee
for the investigation 1t now is making
OF this subject.
4, Housing Bills Endorsed.
Two measures designed to eliminate
alley dwellings and slum conditions
from Washington, and to improve lt'
blighted sections, also were indorsed bj
unanimous vote. One Is the Cappel
bill. which would provide the use OF g
sum Of S500,000 remaining in an ap'
preparation for the United States Hous-
ing Corporation for alley dwelling elm
ination. The other, not held SO vi :
gently needed, is the Copeland bill tc
permit limited dividend corporations tc
reclaim blighted districts.
The federation also urged Congress
To amend the La Toilette anti-merger
legislation of 1918, so as to prevent a
common-iaw trust or other trust, as
we'll as corporation, from obtaining OF
holding more than 20 per cent OF the
stock in a local utility company.
In the same, action the Public Utlll-
Ties Commission was taken to task FOL
its actions in regard to the ownership
of the washington Gas Light Co. by
a common law trust known as the
Washington and Suburban Cos.
In this action the federation also de-
elared that Congress should not per-
init the merger of the Washington ano
Georgetown Gas Light Cos. until the
utility law is amended to include a COM
mon law trust among outside assocla-
tions or corporations which are oarreo
from controlling local utilities.
In a companion resolution the fed.
Grafton declared its unalterable opposl-
tion to passage Of the gas company
merger bill.
d. C. Share Urged.
In its action on the public works bill
the citizens declared it is matter o.
''essential fairness and justice" tina
Congress should include the Distric'
In the provision under which grants
will be made from Federal funds fol
emergency construction of main high
way projects. The resolution, ot1eree
by George z. Sullivan, chairman OF thu
Law and Legislation Committee, point
ed out that residents Of the District
pay Federal taxes, exceeding the ag'
Rregate contributions Of II States, anc
more than those In any one OF 81
States It declared also that highway
projects traversing the District are nee.
essarily Federal or national In charac.
ter to greater degree than Highways
in other parts Of the United States, ol
Hawaii, which is included.
An hours debate was provoked BY
the resolution calling for reduction
In the retail price of milk in the Dis
trict, but the action finally was votec
by an overwhelming vote.
While the federation lacked a repor
showing specific reasons for the presen
level Of retail prices here, 1t went OF
record heartily favoring a reduction ii
prices, principally on the ground tina
prices here were declared to be higher
than in nearly any other large city O.
the United States.
oy QIldIlLIlOuS dIIlOIl IIlc IcUcId dIlUI
approved q report by Clayton e. Emig
Capper and the Copeland bills. Tht
committee took the position that in
sanitary or otherwise unfit housing con-
ditions and blighted areas require re.
medal legislation, confined however, tc
particular blocks or squares which are
90 affected.
Safeguards Favored.
Use of the power of eminent domain
or condemnation, was held to be neces.
sary under both bills to provide effective
operation, but it was urged that this be
safeguarded for the public and thai
such power be not used until a pro.
feet is approved by the Zoning Commis.
sion after a public hearing, and notice
given to affected property owners. Tht
federation urged also that limited divi.
dend housing corporations be not al
lowed to resell land to any interes
other than other limited dividend cor.
porations.
The Sullivan resolutions opposing
passage Of the gas merger bill until the
La Toilette act can be amended to pro-
shibit local or foreign holding corpora
ttons from controlling local utilities, de-
clared that when proper conditions for
gas merger exist, it should be made
should be excluded altogether as an ele-
ment Of value Of the companies. II
also was urged that going concern value
be not considered as increasing the full
rate base valuations
The federation took the position
voiced by Mr.. Sullivan that the gas
merger bills already considered by Con-
gress do not provide protection against
control by foreign holding corporations
In criticising the Utilities Commits
sion for numerous actions, the fedora
, ,ticn declared: 1T is manifest that the
present membership Of the Public Utili-
ties Commission ought not to have cen
ferred upon it unsupervised power ano
authority to fiX the conditions of a gas
merger affecting interests already sig
naly favored by q series of action.
taken by the said commission"
Gas Merger Foes Praised.
! Representatives O'Brien, Weidemar
and Werner were commended for then
trecent blocking of action on the ga.
merger bill by the House District Com
lsnittee when the strenuous lobbying
activities in behalf of this bill caused
them to sense real public danger"
The commission was criticized for not
continuing efforts to force the con-
trolling interest in the gas companie:
out of the hands of "a group of New
York capitalists" declaring that the
continuing control of the New Yori
holding group is "undeniable." In spite
of this. the resolution declared. ''tht
Public Utilities Commission has recent.
1y satisfied itself that the group Of
New York capitalists ought not be dis.
turbed. there having been a change ir
the name of the investment trust from
Seaboard Investment Trust to Wash.
sngton and Suburban Companies"
The federation also adopted a reso-
luton approving the principle of q
merger or mergers of Washington banks
now in the hands of conservators
rather than the adoption of a proc
-ess Of liquidation. The action wa:
proposed by L. A. Carruthers, chair
man Of the Committee on Fiscal Re-
1atinns