Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-31
ABOUT ANACOSTIA TRAFFIC
The Road Prefers to Run Cars Oftener and
Have No Conductors.
The Citizens Association Presents
Considerations Oh the iOther Side
Invited to Look ut the Books.


PRESIDENT Griswold of the Anacostia rail-
road had hearing before, ths Commission
ers this morning with reference to the re-
quest presented to the Commissioners sew
eral days ago by a committee of the Ana
costa Citizens Association, asking that
the road be compelled to put on conductors,
IN addition to two-horse cars In the laws
regulating street railroads. the Commission
ers are empowered to exafnpt street rail-
roads running through a spafsely settled
section from the requirements compelling
them to have two horses Shd Conductors.
Mr.. Grtswold took exception. to num-
Der OF the statements Of tses committee, and
argued that the fir ancial. condition Of the
road was hot such as to wsrraFt the .neces!
sary additional expenditure He occupied
the bulk of his time in reading a. report of
the working of the road to sustain his posi-
ton He presented facts and figures to
show that for years past the road and its
different branches have carried less than a
third of the number of passengers for which
the cars offer seating accommodations. On
some of the branches the proportion is
materially less. but that held good during
the month of J~-e, 1892, which showed the
largest receipt any month in the history
of the road.
More Cars Used.
The business of the road fell off to such
an extent that it was necessary to discon-
tinue conductors in order to keep up the
car service. He thought that it was better
to send larger number of ears over the
lines for the accommodation of the public
without conductors than it would be to
have smaller number of cars with con-
ductors. The difference in the receipts of
the road was less than $50 month, while
at the minimum it required $s44 to main
tain the system of conductors.
Mr.. GriSwold pointed out that they would
have to lose nearly 100 passengers per
day to make the difference equal to the ex-
pendltures made necessary by the employ
nlent OF conductors. In point of fact, owing
10 all causes, the number of passengers on
the road has shown decrease of only DOR
q day, and there was no reason to believe
but that this decrease would have been as
large even had conductors been employed
upon the road. In other words Mr.. Girls
void maintained that to accede to the re-
quests Of the people of .Anacostia was a
financial fmposs:bility for the road, which.
even as 1t Is, has never paid dividends.
Population Enough,
Mr.. Henry johnson, the secretary of the
Anacostfa Citizens Association, was pres
ent at the hearing and had few words to
say with reference to railroad matters in
That section. He brought forward a num-
Der or arguments, which have already ap-
peared in print from time to time, to the
effect that 1t was owing to mismanage-
ment that the road had been a non-paying
affair." rather than to any sparsity Of pop
uiation in the section through which its
lines pass. AS to the road now being a sue
cess, Mr.. johnson expressed the opinion
that 1T never would be so long as things
are run as they are now Mr. Griswold
said that the books of the company were
open at any time to Mr. Johnson as a
StCCklOlUer
A Suggestion.
The Commissioners suggested to Mr.
johnson that, as he appeared in public
capacity. he owed it to his people to study
the books and produce arguments based OIL
the actual receipts and expenses of the
road. rather than arguments based on the
population of the section to which the road
caters and the business that thought to do.
The Commissioners appeared to place
considerable reliance on the facts and fig
ures presented to them by the president Of
the road, and while they agreed to take the
matter under consideration, 1t ds doubtful If
they will see their way eto enforcing the
strict letter of the law on the Anacostia
road.