Evening star., 1953-11-29
@ S2AID EDITION
County 10 Push
Fight on Higher
Electric Rates
Arlington to Employ
Lawyer for VEPCO
Hearing December IA


The Arlington County Board
yesterday agreed to appropriate
another $4,000 in legal fees to
continue its fight against electric
rate increases.
The county board earlier this
month arranged for legal repre-.
sentation at Virginia State Cor.
poration Commission hearings.
Involved was a request by the
Virginia Electric & Power Co.
for higher rates. It was estimated
these would add about so cents
to the monthly electric bill of the
average Arlington homeowner.
Arlington Commonwealth's At
torney William j. Hassan was
authorized to hire M. G. Baron,
former chief hearing examiner
OF the Interstate Commerce Com
mission, to represent the county.
Increases Compared.
Yesterday, Mr.. Hassan said
Mr.. Baron was prepared to pre-
sent 10 items before the State
commission ION behalf Of the
public interest"
Included among these were
these points:
"The increase in the Arling-
ton Alexandria Falls Church
area would be almost twice that
OF the consumers in the rest Of
the State.
"The differential between pro-
posed Vepco rates with those of
the Potomac Electric Power Co.
would result in Arlington County
residents paying from 20 to "a
per cent more than the charges
of Pepco."
The State commission hearings
are scheduled to reopen on De-
cember IA.
Fund Transfers Deferred.
County and school officials
moved closer to long studied
proposition to coordinate certain
functions of the county govern
ment and the school administra-
tion-particufarly those involv-
ing expenditures.
Two School Board requests for
fund transfers yesterday were
deferred by the County Board to
its December IL meeting. School
heads had asked for:
/. Transfer of $4,000 from
surplus county funds to the
school operating fund-the sum
to be used for six new school
buses. School authorities said the
buses are needed because the old
buses now available are subject
to breakdown, because the Army
no longer transports children
living at Fort Myer and because
the scheduled opening Monday
of two new schools will put
900 additional pupils on single
sessions.
2. Authorization to shift about
$21, 900 from one school fund to
another to cover an equivalent
deficit in the operation of school
cafeterias.
Conference Planned.
Action on these requests should
wait on a conference to be called
soon between members of the
county government and School
Board members, the County
Board held.
At the conference it was re-
vealed yesterday, the proposals
to coordinate functions of the
two groups will be discussed.
One who wanted immediate
action on the school bus situa-
ton was Mrs. Ruth Desmond.
705 North Greenbrier street,
mother of a 12-year-old girl
who attends Wakefield Junior
Senior High School.
Mrs. Desmond told the board
the number of children who have
to stand in Arlington school
buses represents a "deplorable
condition"
Towing Ordinance Studied.
In other business, the board
announced it will consider for
action on December IL a pro-
posed towing ordinance. Recon-
mended by the American Auto
mobile Association, the statute
would require the towing away,
at the owners expense, of i'm
properly parked vehicles during
ruhsh hours.
The board also appointed
Richard c. Davis, $40 South
Nineteenth street, to be a men,
ber of the Civil Defense Advisory
Council of the county. Mr.. Davis
will serve as representative Of
Arlington veterans organiza-
tions and auxiliaries.