Evening star., 1951-08-10
New Gas Users
Order by PAD
PUG to Go Along
With Defense Agency
If 1t Cuts Extension

The extension of natural ga
facilities for industrial use anc
home heating may be stopped IL
the District.
Chairman James H. Flanagan
of the Public Utilities Commls.
sion said, following Federal ala,
nouncement, that the District will
go along with the Petroleum Ad.
ministration for Defense, if {
restrictive order is issued, affect.
ing new users. But Mr.. Flanagan
made it clear there will be ne
reduction of natural gas fol
present household users here.
PAD officials met yesterday II
the Interior Department witt
State public utilities commission.
ers from IL Eastern and Mid.
western States and the District
C. Pratt Rather, assistant deputy
administrator for PAD, in charge
of the gas division, announced
his agency will decide next week
whether an order will be issued
PUG Position Stated.
Mr.. Flanagan, who attended
the conference with Commissioner
Kenneth w. Spencer, gave this
summary of the PUG position:
1--WE recalled that, when the
first talk of restrictions was hearc
several months ago, when COM
of States supplied BY
the Columbia Gas System were
consulted. we initmated we woulo
not look with sympathy upon any
application by our local com
pany for a restriction of the use
of natural gas for house-heating
purposes. Representatives of PAD
attended that meeting. However
since that time, through confer
ences with the officials of PAD
and other commissioners, we have
learned that the problem is ar
area problem and not purely 8
local one.
And We are convinced that the
Federal agency has and can gel
more accurate information as tc
defense needs than we can. Sc
we stated we would go along with
the proposed order of the PAD
provided its terms were sub.
stantially in accord with those
which we had been discussing.
Grave Responsibility
I'VE look at it this way. The
Bow amendment to the Defense
Production Act imposes upon this
commission a very grave respon-
sibility.
"If we did not agree to restric-
ton. 1t means that we would have
to certify to President Truman
that we are in possession of the
power to regulate the use of ma
tural gas and we are doing so in
such a way as to accomplish the
objectives of the Defense Produc-
ton Act.
eve would not, under any cir
cumStances, certify anything tc
President Truman that we coulc
not back up with facts. There.
fore. if We were not to have re-
strictions, we would be obliged tt
hold a public hearing to which
we would invite the representa-.
tives of the PAD in order to gel
the facts at their disposal.
Presumably the PAD would tel
us, as they have been telling us
that there is an acute shortage o1
natural gas which would preclude
our ability to act contrary to the
provisions of the restriction order
being discussed. Therefore, we
signify our intention of going
along with the order, with the
full confidence that the petroleum
administrator TO, defense would
accord to the District If Columbia
the fairest possible treatment"
Studied by Commissioners.
PAD officials announced, after
the conference, that Mr.. Rather
discussed the proposed tentative
order with the State public util-
tiles commissioners in closed ses-
sion at the department. Most of
the commissi' ners said they will
have to study the matte further
and hold discussions with their
own commissions.
Maryland was represented by
Frank Harper of the MARYLAND
Public Service Commission, while
Il. Lester Hooker of the State
corporation Commission appeared
Tor Virginia.