Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-29
COND0rToRLEss CARS.

Citi1ens' COpAlMitteas Discuss Their
Use ON Local Railways.
The executive and railway committees of
the North Capitol and lexington Citizens
Association heldia joint meeting last night
at the residence Of Mr.. w. G. Henderson,
president Of the association, for the pur
pose of considering what action should be
taken with respect to the corductorless
cars now being run on the North Capitol
street branch Of the lexington and Sol
diers' Home line, between G and L streets
This new order of things, including the I'M
proved schedule. went into effect yesterday,
and cars are now being run on the trolley
branch Of the line and also on the bobtail
branch every five minutes between the
hours of and am. and and S pm.
The members Of the ASSOCIATION express
themselves as highly gratified with the
action of the Commissioners in requiring
and insisting upon this improved schedule,
which will be found to be great con-
Venience to the public of that section, but
they have filed formal protest against
their retrogressive action in permitting
cars to be run without conductors on the
latter branch.
sioners to permit the running of bobtail
cars on this line was submitted by the as
ISOLATION to competent counsel, who has
given them an opinion to the effect that the
ductors from this line have subjected them
selves to the penalty of so a day for each
car SO run, imposed by the act approved
July ~, 1892. and that the permit of the
Commissioners to run these cars without
conductors, as 1t was not based on any
provision cof law, does not relieve them
of this penalty, and. further. that the
Commissioners have no authority under the
act mentioned to grant such permission, as
III. section through which these cars are
Ia a ''lnimnrOyp,l and SDaTSelN
settled section but, on the contrary. Is
thickly populated. steadily improving and
growing.
The Representatives CT the association
decided, however, to take no further ac-
ton in the matter at present, beyond the
filing of protest, designed to place them
on record as not aCQuieScing in the COM
missioners actions, and to recommend to
individual members of the association, and
to others patroniZing this line, to decline to
put their fares in the box. or to pass up
the fares of other passengers. and thus
enforce the driver of the car to collect
the fares and render himself, or the COM
pany whose agent he is. liable to the pen
atty imposed by the act above mentioned,
which prohibits a conductor from acting IS
a driver. 1t also decided to request patrons
of the line to make minute of the name
and number of any driver who collects
fares, the date and time Of such collections
and the number of the car of which ne
was driver, in order to be able to make
do So and to forward such Information to
the officers of the association, with their
name
1t was stated that the company would
probably find before they got through with
the matter that 1t would have been much
less expensive to pay the wages of SLIGO
for thirteen hours a day labor, to each of
the eight conductors whose services are
dispensed with. than to pay fine of SO
a day for each OF the eight cars run with
out conductors. or S2'n a day.
1t was also stated that the commissions
ers in granting permission to the company
to run it's cars OH this line without con-
ductors did with the express understand
ing that their action should not relieve the
company from.the penalty imposed by law
for operating conductorless cars but tina T
the company should assume all responsible
ity for such action and liability for penalty
if the matter should subsequently come
before the courts ard he decided that the
permission granted was without authority
of law.
Those present at the meeting We're
Messrs. w. G. Henderson. J. f. Bancroft
and W. ]. Hughes of the executive COM
mittee, and A. r. Serven. I. L. Kane and
T. T. Moore OF the railway committee.