Evening star., 1943-07-11
Commissioners Plan
Wafer Bill Inquiry
By Committee Of Five

sThe Commissioners are planning
to appoint a special committee of
five to consider methods of issuing
and collecting water bills, which
were criticized recently by Control
ler General Lindsay @. Warren.
:This became known yesterday,
when Chairman McCarran of the
Senate District Committee complied
with q request from Commissioner
Young that he designate r. ". l..
Wright. who is studying the whole
watetr system for the Senate group,
To be one of the five to serve on the
Commissioners committee.
In his letter to the Senator, Mr..
Young said the five-man. group
wpuld be headed by Corporation
Counsel Richmond B. Keech. The
other members will be District Tax
Assessor Edward A. Dent, an ofIicial
of the Potomac Electric Power Co.
and an official of the Washington
Gas Light Co.
Dents Record Praised.
Commissioner Young told Senator
McCarran that in making Mr.. Keech
chairman "the Commissioners were
influenced by the fact that he has
had experience as member of the
Public Utilities Commission and as
peoples counsel Edward A. Dent
Is selected as a member of this COM
mittee as the Commissioners are
cognizant of the fact that he has
just recently completed the reor-
ganization of his own Office, there
by greatly increasign its efficiency.
The representatives of the utilities
companies have problems quite SIM
liar to those that devolve upon the
water registrar"
THE committee will be given a
free hand and will make its report
direct to the Commissioners" Mr..
Young's letter continued. "It will
be limited only by the desire of the
Commissioners to safeguard the
revenues of the Water Department
and to improve the service rendered
to the community"
In his reply, Senator McCarran
emphasized that the Senate District
Committees study of the water
system as a whole will go forward
independently. The Senator's letter
read, in part: t.s.-
To Press Senate Study.
Performance of Mr.. Wright's
duties as special investigator for
the Senate Committee will, I be-
lieve, be facilitated by his partici-
patton in and close familiarity with
the Commissioners investigation.
However, it should be clearly
understood that the Senate Com
mittee's investigation of the entire
D. c. Water Department, including
supply and distribution as we'll as
fiscal affairs and management, is
going forward; that designation of
Mr.. Wright to serve on the Com
missioners' Committee to investigate
particular phase of that general
subject is not to be construed as
limiting the scope of Mr.. Wright's
activities or of the Senate Com
mittees investigation, nor as binding
Mr.. Wright or the Senate Committee
by the finding or recommendation
of the Commissioners Committee.
Under the arrangement by which
Mr.. Wrights services have been
made available to the Senate Com
mittee, it is clear that his activities
as a member of the Commissioners
Committee will be proper only so
long as such activities serve to ad-
vance the Senate Committees inde-
pendent investigation"
Doesn't Expect Conflict.
Senator McCarran said he does
not anticipate any conflict in hav-
ing Mr.. Wright serve on the Com
committee, but told
Commissioner Young, II feel sure
you will agree with me it is wise
to have the basis for such designa-
ton clearly understood
Controller General Warren's re-
port, printed recently in connection
with Senate hearings on the Dis
trict appropriation bill, contended
that hundreds of thousands of
dollars have been lost as a result
of the policy of holding only the
occupants of premises mot owners
responsible for payment of water
bills, delaying billings, charging of
improper rates, cancellations and
adjustments of accounts receivable
and failure to bill all accounts which
should have been billed, etc"
THE factors contributing to this
condition" the Controller General
continued, appear to be lack of
foresight and planning, poor man
agement, inadequate supervision,
faulty system, lack of systematic
and orderly procedures and ineffi-
cient and dissatisfied employees"