Evening star., 1942-01-11
KenilW0rth President Loves
A Good Utilities Battle
G.. NJ. Maize
Backs Natural
Gas for D. c..
By CAMBRIDGE CRIST.

Oy ohkIN On1DOL ShA0Xs
II there is fight going on about
public utilities, particularly In re-
gard to streetcar service or natural
gas, it's an almost sure-flre bet that
Charles M. Maize is in the middle
Of it.
And when Mr.. Maize recounted
his "fights"-as he called them
the other day. while sitting in the
living room Of his home at 1910
Olive street NE, he did it with the
nonchalance of a veteran.
Serving his third term as presi-
dent of the Kenilworth Citizens
Association. and a member of the
Public Utilities Committee of the
Federation, he is already for an
other fight on the question of ma
tural gas for the District, when that
subject comes before, the Public
Utilities Commission. Mr.. Maize
is a staunch advocate of natural
gas, explaining that he came origi-
nally from the natural gas country
Huntington, w. Va"
navy 1AIO L"piOyC
Mr.. Maize said he also intended
to push in the Federation a plan to
put fuel oil under the utilities COM
mission. He said he felt fuel oil
should be governed by the COM
mission, both during war and peace.
He has lived in Kenilworth for
over 23 years, moving from Hunt
ington when he came to work at the
Navy Yard here at the time Of the
first World War. Having always
be interested in organizational
work, he Joined the association I'M
mediately and pitched into the
work for better school and trans
portation facilities. He is more
than satisfied today with the Kenil-
worth School, so that is one fight
out of the way.
But he has engaged In number
Of battles for transportation. He
has opposed the ending OF the
Kenilworth- -Rosslyn route at FIJI
teenth and H streets downtown, as
we'll as the plan to eliminate the
Kenilworth line.
He has also appeared at some
four hearings before the utilities
commission to oppose the so-called
one-man streetcar. Mr.. Maize ex-
planned that he believed the one man
cars slowed up transportation and
that they were mot as safe" Con-
ductors, he argued. are frequently
needed to help people of and on the
cars and occasionally to preserve
order.
Mr.. Maize, who is a machinist, has
made public utilities his hobby. He
is also chairman of the Utilities
Committee of his own association
as well as in organization Of the
International Association OF Ma
chinists here. His interest in utili-
ties started back in his early days
as a machinist apprentice in West
Virginia with the Chesapeake &
Ohio Railroad and later with the
American Car & Foundry Co.
When he first moved to Kenil-
worth, his home-which Is just q
half block from the District line
was almost in the wilderness. I"
Although there are now stores in
the neighborhood, there is still q
trace Of the country in his section,
with frame houses on individual
plots of land and q view of trees
and fields out Of the front windows.
Mr.. Maize and his wife have
reared seven children. Only two Of
them are at home now, but all ex-
cept one, who lives in Cherrydale,
Va, reside in Kenilworth. They
also have five grandchildren, "all in
good health"
Lying on the floor in front Of
Mr.. Maize was "Tippy Maize" .
good-sized police dog, guardian of
the house and friend Of the chill
dren. A woman In the neighbor-
hood doesn't dare spank her child
II Tippy Is around, for II he hears
. child scream he runs to zee what
the trouble is. Tppy, familiar With
the school, Sunday school and Boys