Evening star., 1953-01-31

osSsS's SsVaSOtNtu
Over Decision to
Join CopitoI Transit
Chairman James H. Flanagan
Of the District Public Utilities
Commission, whose resignation
was announced yesterday. is the
first member of that body to quit
for a job with a utility super.
vised by the PUG.
Mr.. Flanagan viii become .
vice president Of the Capital
Transit Co.
The nearest approach to Q
PUG man joining utility came
when James Francis Reilly re-
signed in 1945. Mr.. Reilly. Q
lawyer, left for a job as counsel
with United Air Lines. Later he
took a similar post with Potomac
Electric Power Co. here. He ID
still on the Pepco staff. He had
been on the Public Utilities
Commission about a year.
Mr.. Flanagan announced his
resignation yesterday to take the
transit company job. He was In
his fourth three-year term as
a PUG member. and chairman
most Of that time. The resigna-
ton IS effective February 20.
Commissioners Formerly Served.
From the founding Of the PUG
in 1918 until 1927. the three Dis
trict Commissioners served also
as the Public Utilities Commits
sion. Effective in 1927, Congress
abandoned this system and au-
thorized the President to appoint
two civilian members outside the
Government. The third member
remained the Engineer Commits
sioner of the District. an Army
officer.
Other members of the commits.
sion from that year have heen:
John w. Childress, a manu-
facturer. who went back into
private business; Harrison
Brand, jr.: an atorney-engineer
back to private law practice:
Mai. Gen. Mason M. Patrick. re-
tired Army officer, back to re-
tirement: Harleigh H. Hartman,
attorney, to the Federal Govern
ment; Riley E. Elgen. engineer,
died in office: Richmond B.
Keech, to the Corporation Coun-
sells. Office and now q Federal
District Court judge: Gregory
Hankin, an attorney, to the Fed
eral Government; James w.
Lauderdale, attorney, back, to
private practice; Kenneth w.
Spencer. engineer, present re-
naming PUG member.
Criticized In Congress.
Meanwhile. congressional crit
icism of Mr.. Flanagan's action
continued.
Senator Neely, Democrat, Of
West Virginia. said yesterday he
would sponsor a bill to prevent
a District regulatory official in
the future from resigning to ac-
cept employment with q COM
pany he formerly regulated
The former chairman, now
ranking minority member Of the
Senate District Committee, an
nounced his intent on being told
Of Mr.. Flanagan's action.
To Draft Measure at Once.
Senator Neely said he would
at once draft q bill preventing
for at least two years a District
regulatory official from taking
a job with a company he had
been regulating. His measure
would apply to future cases. but
would not be retroactive.
"I'm 100 per cent against the
business Of a public official SO
operating his official duties that
some big corporation will take
him out Of his public Office and
put him on its own payroll" the
fiery West Virginian declared.
There ought to be q law to
protect the public interest from
exploitation by preventing the
official from stepping out Of his
office to fight on the reverse side
Of the policy he was supposed
to be fighting for when In public
Office" he added.
Another Senator who ex-
pressed the view there should be
law tu prevent such q move
was Senator Hunt, Democrat. of
Wyoming. a member of the Dis
trict Committee last year.
Chairman Case Of the Senate
District Committee said that so
far as he knew, there was no
law to prevent District officials
from taking employment with q
company formerly subject to the
official's regulation. Such a law
applies to some Federal officials.
Representative Hyde. Republi-
can, Of Maryland, a freshman
member Of the House District
Committee, said he thought it
would be unconstitutional to seek
to prevent any one from taking
whatever job he wanted.
He made no direct comment on
the Flanagan case except to sug-
gest that it was rather general
practice for Government officials
to go into private jobs.
Mr.. Flanagan came to the
PUG after serving several years
as an accountant with the Se-
curities and Exchange Commis-
sion. His first appointment was
on an interim basis In Febru-
ary, 1942. Soon afterward he
was elected chairman.
His salary with PUG is $ll, 800.
His new job will pay $4,000 an
nually, Mr.. Flanagan said in his
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