Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-07
Move Against
F airfax Water
Rates Defeated
Opposed Charges
Based on Assets
Which Cost Nothing
a By Alex R. Preston
siur s,uff Correspondent.

81: Siur Stuff Correspondent
- RICHMOND. Mar. 6.-Fairfax
County legislation to prohibit
water companies from charging
crates based on assets which cost
them nothing, ran into an am
bush on the floor Of the House
of Delegates today, and was
killed ~ to SO.
1 After the General Laws Com
mittee favorably reported the
bill with no dissenting votes, the
sudden opposition on the floor
was too much for the freshman
delegates, Omer Hirst and John
Webb Of Fairfax. to fight OF.
Veteran Delegate Armistead
L. Boothe of Alexandria, who
opposed the bill before a COM
mittee, stayed on the floor dur
ling the 25-minute debate. but
did not vote because his law
firm represents the Virginia
Water Co., which serves part
2O4 dAAdA NOuL1CJ.
{ Other developments today in
3eluded: passage by the House.
with significant support from
Democratic organization lead
%erS. of a bill to revise the Byrd
sautomatic tax credit law. The
bill goes to the Senate.
House Passes Labor Move.
The Senate passed and sent to
Sthe House. by Is to II vote, a
bill to put more teeth into the
States right-to-work labor law.
This marked the Stanley admin
tiStration's first major victory in
1.-The session which has given him
four defeats.
The House killed. by sending
back to committee, a bill by the
Arlington delegation to give that
county the right to issue fran
Echises to public utilities, similar
ito powers now held by cities.
!. The House approved, A to II,
sthe idea of creating toll turn
pike in southwest Virginia, from
West Virginia to North Carolina.
1naSmuch as the same body re-
Gently approved toll turnpike
In the Richmond-P Petersburg
area, it looks as though the leg
stature may be departing from
the traditional pay-aS-you-go
policy Of maintaining free high
ways. The Senate still has to
$act on both bills. however.
Called Legal Larceny"
When Mr.. Hirst's water COM
pany bill came up. the sponsor
described it as against legal
larceny He said he sought to
prevent the practice of water
companies compelling customers
ito pay for installation Of water
mains unless fees were refunded
as other customers made con-
.nectionS.
= His bill would prohibit the
State Corporation Commission
from allowing the companies to
consider the water mains as lin
vested capital" on which a fair
return is allowed.
Furthermore, his bill would
have prevented the companies
from charging of as losses
depreciation on water pipes
which the firms never paid for.
. The Arlington House delega-
ton stood solidly behind Mr..
sHirst when the showdown vote
came. But Delegate George
Cochran, OF Stanton, led off
the opposition by claiming the
bill might affect the outcome Of
a suit involving a municipality
In which he was involved as an
attorney.
Explanations Do No Good.
Explanations by Mr.. Webb and
Mr.. Hirst that the bill could not
affect municipal water COM
panies were of no avail. Dele
gate Harrison Mann, of Airing
ton, asked if a homeowner
wasn't being held up" if he is
forced to pay the cost of a
water main when a company
is allowed to earn fair re-
turn on that main as an
Investment"
Mr.. Cochran replied that the
home-Owner could dig a we'll"
The bill to revise the Byrd auto
matte tax credit law went
Through after barely five minutes
Of discussion It was sponsored
by N. w. Pendleton, of Wythe.
Three previous attempts to re-
wise the four-year-old law Of
State Senator Harry +. Byrd.
IT., have taken many hours of
debate
Moore. Backs PendletOn.
Today. the Pendleton bill had
the support of House Speaker E.
Blackburn Moore, who almost in
variably votes according to ad-
ministration policy.
The Pendleton bill provides
that tax credits would not begin
until revenues had exceeded esti-
mates by 10 per cent. Then, all
but five per cent of the excess
would be credited to taxpayers.
this giving the legislature a sur
plus" to appropriate.
At present, tax credits begin
when revenues exceed estimates
by five per cent and then the en-
tire amount is refunded so that
no surplus is accumulated.