Evening star., 1934-06-04
SIaShed Budget Will Also
Make Pay Reductions Nec-
eSSary, Officials Say.
DESIGNATE POSITIONS
TOBE DROPPED JULY |
Disclosures Made in Statement
Issued Today by Elgin
and Keech.

from the Public Utilities Commission
personnel is necessitated by the re-
duction of S36823 in the commissions
budget for 1885, it was disclosed to-
day in an eight-page typewriter
statement issued Jointly by Riley Elgin
and Richmond Keech. commissioners,
pointing out that the commission has
been granted by the House and Sem
ate conferees only $4,000 for the
forthcoming year despite the fact
that the Bureau of the Budget ap-
proved a total of S86,82 for 81
employees.
The drastic reduction, necessary in
view of the SlaShed budget, will carry
the number of employees of the COM
mission below the 20 persons au-
thorlzed when the commission was
established in 1913.
Salary Cuts Necessary.
Besides the dropping of no less
than IA persons. the Elgin-K -Keech
statement points out the remaining
employees will be subjected to salary
reduction of 10 per cent in addition
to the per cent which will be in
effect for all Government employees
beginning July l. In addition to the
10 per cent reduction referred to,
three of the employees who will be re-
tanned will suffer a further reduction
in salaries back to the minimum of
their respective grades. Such drastic
action, the Commissioners explained
lis essential in order that the COM
mission may retain at least a nucleus
in its bureaus"
Declaring that the detrimental
effect of cutting IA employees from
the commissions roll is best indicated
by setting out duties performed" the
Commissioners. in their statement.
list the following IA positions which
definitely will be dropped the last
day Of this month:
Research assistant to the peoples
council at S2,430: valuation engineer,
$3420; engineer, s2970 valuation
accountapE S3,420 senior accountant
and auditor $3.50: assistant ac-
countant and auditor. s2,340; senior
accounting and auditing assistant,
$1,000: inspector of electrical meters,
S2430; taXicab inspector, S1.728; as
sistant inspector of gas and meters,
SLASH; inspector of gas and meters,
s15s6: file clerk. 81 .296; clerk-stenog-
rapher, Sl,458; messenger chauffeur,
Sl,l34.
Personnel to Be II.
The commission was created by
act Of Congress approved March 4,
1918" the statement continued. In
the first year it had an organization
of 20 employees. whereas the personnel
for the coming year will be only IT,
this Notwithstanding large increase in
properties and operations of utilities
subject to commission regulation and
the imposition Of many additional
duties by Congress. The present force
is inadequate for the duties imposed
by law Additional employees would
have been requested except for eco
nomic conditions"
Reviewing the work performed by
the employees who will be dropped
tie statement explained that the re-
search assistant to the peoples coun-
sci is an accountant with long general
and utility experience His duties
consist primarily of checks of the
various accounts of the utilities under
the commissions jurisdiction with a
view to aScertaining the propriety of
charges to capital and operating ac-
counts. He prepares exhibits for use
before the commission and courts as
well as for members of Congress. He
makes comparisons of various tariffs
with those of this and other communi-
ties and investigates complaints re-
ceived by the peoples counsel as to
service and charges. He likewise
makes studies of proposed rate sched-
ules
Engineer to Be Dropped.
The valuation engineer to be drop
ped makes continuous studies of used
and useful properties of the utilities
to determine additions to and retire
ments therefrom as we'll as deprecia-
ton The incumbent is familiar with
valuations and accounts. In the same
day he may inspect the installation
of a piece Of special track work by
the Capital Transit Co.. an extension
of a gas main by the Washington Gas
Light Co. and the installation of
equipment by the Chesapeake & Po-
tomac Telephone Co.
1De O6SIiIleu W Ut UlS-
charged is a graduate engineer with
special training in cost analysis
preparation of price trends and gen.
eral statistical work In dealing with
modern utility corporations. the Com
mission ers pointed out, there is need
for such ar engineer and the incum-
bent's versatility has proved extreme
ly valuable to the commission"
Prominent among other persons to
be dropped are the electric meter in
spectors who investigate consumers
complaints against excessive bills for
current and other purposes; the taxi
cab inspector whr examines the We
hicleS to determine that they comply
with the various rules and regula-
tions; gas meter inspectors whose du-
ties involve the determination of the
quality and pressure of gas.
Added Duties Cited.
The statement concludes with a list
of important additional duties i'm
posed on the Public Utilities Commits
sion since 1918 and which apparently
are to be carried on now despite a.
smaller personnel IN was available
in that early year
The commission was charged with
jurisdiction over taxicab rate schedules
which since 1914 increased from a
limited number of large owners to a
condition today which witnesses 1000
individual cabs with a large number
of individual owners. Under the
license act of 1882 the commission
was charged with approVal of aUpllca =
tious for licensing of public vehicles
and under the same act it was given
responsibility for establishing taxica1
and other public vehicle stands. The
congressional act of February, 1881
imposed on the commission the duty