Pentagon's Light Bill

The current butt of Washington's quipsters--War Department's Pentagon Building--was the object of more serious criticism last week. Now it seemed that the cost of lighting, air-cooling and escalating it was too high. The Public Buildings Administration tried to needle the Federal Power Commission into doing something.

Because Pentagon was built on the wrong side of the Potomac River--in Arlington County, Va. instead of the District of Columbia--U.S. taxpayers must pay to Braddock Light & Power Co. $650,000 a year--$150,000 more than if the bill was collected by Braddock's big brother, Potomac Electric Power Co. (Pepco has the same officers, supplies the current Braddock sells to the Pentagon, but operates on the District side of the river.)

Pepco's defense for the seeming $150,000 overcharge was that it and Braddock had laid out $1,000,000 to dredge the Potomac and lay the cables that carry current into Pentagon's acres of office space. PBA replied that the extra $150,000 a year would pay for Pepco's entire investment in four years.

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