Evening star., 1947-03-02
Arlington Moves
ToAppea|Ph Phone
Rate Increases
Board Votes to Hire
Experts to Study
Best Method
By Robert e. RoIIinqs

Oy NoDSTt ~. NOiIin0S
A $500 appropriation to pay fol
q study to determine the best
method Of appealing recent rate
increases Of the Chesapeake & Po-
tomac Telephone Co. was made yes
terday by the Arlington County
Board.
At the request Of the County
Public Utilities Commission the
board directed that the $1,000 be
used to employ an attorney and
rate analyst.
The attorney to be employed, II
was learned, is Morton Wallerstein
Of Richmond, specialist In public
utilities rate cases. Mr.. Wallerstein
and the rate analyst will decide
whether to appeal to the State Cor
poratior Commission, to the Su-
preme Court Of Appeals of vir-
ginia or to the telephone company
Although all discussion of an ap-
peal has been concerned only with
the intrastate rate increases, It
was learned that the more recent
interstate changes now under in
vestigation by the Federal Com
municatidns Commission also may
be studied by the PUG.
Zoning Proposal Approved.
The County Board also approved
a motion by Basil DeLashmutt that
the county employ paid zonine
and planning consultant and that
membership of the County Planning
Commission be increased from five
to seven. The board deferred the
appointments until the next meet.
ing.
The board appropriated $500 Il
pay for checking the new reassess-
ment figures against the County
Land Book on motion of F. Freelano
Chew. Mr. Chew explained that the
work merely would be a check OF
records and not an investigation into
the $4,000, 900 difference between
final figure of $90,969 ,620 filed with
the clerk Of the court and the tenta-
tive figure of $117,000,00O released
last Octboer by the Reassessment
Board.
The board also voted to ask the
Arlington delegation to the General
Assembly to prepare legislation
which would give the county au-
thority to set up permanent assess
ment procedures. The board acted
on motion of Daniel A. Dugan.
Present law requires reassessement
every four years by a three-man,
court-appointed board.
Housing Action Deferred.
Action on a motion that the board
authorize appointment of an Arling-
ton Housing Authority was deferred
until the next meeting. Support for
the housing authority was voiced by
Charles j. Moos, a member of the
county's Veterans Housing Com
mittee; Mrs. William Arkin, of the
Arlington League of
Women Voters, and the Rev. Berwyn
Jones, pastor of the Pershing Drive
Christian Church.
Proponents explained that one
function of a housing authority
could be to take over operation of
the George Washington Carver and
Paul Dunbar homes which the Fed
eral Government plans to dispose
of in 80 days. Leo Lloyd requested
Commonwealth's Attorney Lawrence
w. Douglas to study the matter and
report at the next meeting.
The board granted a request of
the Public Works Administration
that operation of an ordinance pro-
hibiting bus traffic on South Orme
street be postponed for 30 days. T.
Oscar Smith, a resident of South
Orme street, protested the action
on the grounds that the PWA had
had sufficient time to make the
changes in the road over which
buses will travel when the route is
changed.
On motion of Mr.. Chew, County
Manager Frank c. Hanrahan was
Instructed to include funds In next
years budget for study of water
rates with a view toward reducing
them.
improvement Sought.
A petition bearing 300 signatures
Of residents of the Fort Barnard
Heights area, asking for street lights,
better transportation facilities and
a sidewalk, was presented by C. j.
Wertz, secretary of the newly formed
Fort Barnard Heights Citizens As
sociation. Mr.. Lloyd asked that
the matter be referred to the county
manager for study and the matter
of transportation be referred to the
PUG.
An appointment to fill a vacancy
on the PUG was deferred until the
next meeting and a delegation of
citizens from the gasoline-soaked
Fifth and North Pollard streets area
was assured that the county is do
ing all it can to determine the
source of the seepage.
Barney Hall of the Stonewall
Jackson Citizens Association was
ruled out of order by Board Chair
man Elizabeth B. Magruder when
he attempted to suggest the name
of a successor for Mr.. Hanrahan,
vino recently announced his inten-
ton to retire this June.
The board denied rezoning re-
quests of Katherine S. Fadely for
change from one-family residen-
tial to local commercial at 2411
North Madison street and of Harry
B. and Roma King, for change
from residential apartment to light
manufacturing at 1740 Lee highway.