Evening star., 1951-04-04
Gas Firm Official
Opposes Plan 70
Figure Refunds
Method Would Require
4Yedrs, Company Says;
Asks to Average Bills

A Washington Gas Light Co
official today testified that to re.
fund gas overcharges the way
Vernon v. Baker desires would
cost the company $440,000 anc
require more than four years te
complete the job.
These figures, based on utilizing
100000 man-hours to prepare de-
tI1s. accurate refunds, was giver
by o. H. Ritenour, controller OF
the gas company.
Attorney William A. Roberts
representing the public interests
before District Court Judge T. Alan
Goldsborough, promptly branded
the company figures fantastic
and absurd"
Mr.. Roberts seeks on behalf o1
Mr.. Baker and some 175,000 gas
consumers to have the court su-
pervise an estimated $1.2 million
in refunds ordered after extended
litigation all the way up to the
Supreme Court.
Ask Precise Computations.
Mr.. Roberts wants the company
to compute the precise refund due
each consumer, and send the
consumer an individual check ac-
companied by the company's COM
putation of his refund.
This method. according to Mr.
Ritenour, would cause great de-
lay in distribution of the refunds
despite the fact that at least 4O
company employees would be as
signed on a nextra- hour basis to
handle the refund exclusively.
The controller said that under
the company's simplified plan of
figuring the refunds by averaging
the bills of blocks" of consumers
the refunding would require only
six months and 10000 manhours
would be required. This simpli-
fed method would be accurate
efficient and fair, he said.
Acknowledges Inaccuracy.
Under cross-examination by Mr..
Roberts. the controller acknowl-
edged, however, that under the
"block" system of averaging the
overchargeS. some consumers
would get more and others less
than they are entitled to: But,
he said, this variation would come
to not more than average of
cents per month or a total of 81
cents per consumer for the entire
17-month period involved in the
refund.
Mr.. Roberts said that to know
accurately what the figures would
be requires the investigation of a
court-appointed special master to
have overall supervision of the
refund.
This type Of court supervision
Is one of the main REQUESTS of
Mr.. Roberts who has also petit
toned Judge Goldsborough to al
low the consumer to collect per
cent interest on the gas. over
charges.
c. Oscar Berry, company at
torney, wants the Public Utili-
ties Commission to have charge of
the refunding job. Mr.. Berry
contends that such procedure is
beyond the province of the court
Firm Official Opposes Thanks.
An official of the gas firm tolo
the Palisades Citizens Association
last night it was being "a little
previous" in voting to thank Mr.
Baker for his almost single
handed fight against a rate in.
crease.
Richard w. Hirst, assistant tc
the treasurer of the gas company
and an association member, rose
to oppose a motion of thanks to
Mr.. Baker. He said Supreme Court
reversal of the rate increase
is not making it easy for the gas
company to sell a SO million stock
issue for capital improvement.
IF the gas company can't raise
any money. this community will
suffer-" Mr.. Hirst declared, "and
Baker can be thanked for that"
Hits Move Against Rate.
He called the aSsociatinn's
action financially and eco-
nomically illiterate" and described
Mr.. Bakers legal assault on the
rate increase irresponsible"
Reached at home. Mr.. Baker
termed this ridiculous. He as
serted earnings of the company
admittedly are sufficient to pay
almost double the previous $1.5O
dividend. even after deducting the
amount due customers as rebate u
The meeting also heard an argu-
ment between Gerhard P. van
Arkel, counsel of the Senate Dis
trict Committee, and Gordon M
Atherholt, an attorney and the
groups delegate to the Northwest
Council Of Citizens Associations
Both men are association mem
berS.
Home Rule Urged First.
The District Committee attorney
asked the group to seek home rule
first before urging passage of ma
tional representation, as suggested
by Mr.. Atherholt.
There is no Constitutions
reason why the Senate and House
can't restore rights to District
residents that every decent citi-
zen has the right to demand" Mr.
van Arkel declared.
Mr.. Atherholt accused the com.
mittee counsel of deceptive infer
ences" during hearings on the
Kefauver-Taft home rule bill fol
the District and said he was
dragging red herring across the
path of national representation.
Membership of the grour
reached a record of 1,446 at thu
meeting, conducted by Harold
Gray, president, and Lionel
Murphy, first vice president, al