The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-08-14
EXCESS FARE QUESTION
4 Protest to the Commissioners
From Tak0ma Park.
sir. Morrison 4 SKIS If the Washington
Traction md Electric Company
Sustained ny the Charter-R eferred
10 the Attorney for the District.

Lisle Morrison. of Takoma Park, has
written to the Commissioners protesting
against the proposed change in the rate
OF street car fare on the Brightwood divis-
| ion of the Washington Traction Company
and requests Information as 20 the law on
! the subject.
AT present" ne writes, Il receive six
tickets for quarter, and one ticket is all
| that is required from Takoma Park 20 the
| corner Of Fifteenth Street and New York
Avenue, transfers being given at the old
stables on Brightwood Avenue and at
Ninth and New York Avenue. Under the
| proposed arrangement I will receive four
tickets for quarter, and one of said tick
| cts Will carry me between the points men
toned This is an increase of 80 per cent
on each fare.
The Capital Traction Company carries
a passenger from Chevy Chase Circle 70
Fifteenth Street for one fare OF cents
or ticket at rate of six for a quarter.
| The haul in both these cases is about the
same if anything the Takoma Park line
is the shorter.
Il give you these facts and request t at
you inform me whether or not under eX-
listing law the Washington Traction and
Electric Company can exact more than
I
the rate of six tickets TO: a quarter, be-
tween Takoma Park and the corner of
Fifteenth Street and New York Avenue
| northwest.
In this connection it may be also
stated that the same methods and rules
apply in the case Of a passenger who
| takes the ears at Seventeenth and H
as far as Woody Lane or a less distance
| on the TenleytOWn branch.
AT the request of the Commissioners
| L. p. Bradshaw. inspector of the Engi-
neer Department. has reported upon the
letter Of Mr.. Morrison and says: BY
| way Of complete answer to this comnU-
nfcation il seems pertinent to state that
| the act of Congress. approved June 5,
| 1900, authorizing in effect the consolida-
ton Of certain railways, eleven in num-
| Der, has not as yet gone into effect The
| corporation known as the Washington
| Traction and Electric Company, and
| popularity supposed to represent such con-
| solidation, in legal contemplation literally
| does not
| This corporation as such has never re-
! ceived the authority Of Congress 10 oper-
| ate street railways and its status is sim
ply that OF q shareholder holding a ma
| jorIty OF the stock of the respective roads
| named in the act OF Congress, and its name
| Is made use Of as having the controlling
interest. Thus far, therefore, consoIida-
| ton not having been effected under the
act, these roads at the present time are OPP
| Grating as Independent systems under their
! own respective charters, with all the
/ rights and privileges conferred thereby, so
| that answering specifically Mr.. Morrison 5
/ question as regards the Brightw0od road,
! whether or not under existing law the
| Washington Traction and Electric Com
| pany can exact more than one fare Of )
! cents CT one ticket at the rate OF six for
.arter, etc, the language OF this COM
IS charter and that Of the act OF Feb
y Is, 1885 providing for the issuance
transfer coupons between this and the
ropolitan Road. is as follows: Said
npany shall receive a rate of fare not
Feeding 5 cents for each passenger for
n continuous ride between all points OF
line, but shall sell six tickets for %
nts; That the Brightwood Company
I'd the Georgetown and Teuleytown Rail-
ay Company be- and they are hereby res
pectively, authorized and required 10 sell
four coupon tickets for % cents, good for
one continuous ride in the District Of CO.
lumbia over the lines of said companies
and the lines of the Metropolitan Railroad
| Company indicates that it can and that a
| passenger Of the Brightwood Road failing
| TO take advantage of this coupon transfer
| arrangement under existing law in order
| 10 reach his destination at Fifteenth
| Street and New York Avenue over the
| Metropolitan and its connecting lines. must
| either pay two scent fares or two tickets
| at the rate Of six for q quarter
1T does not appear from the follow
! ing language of the act authorizing the
| consolidation, that the Washington and
| Great Falls Electric Railway Company
! on the purchase Of the property or fran
| chises of any or all OF said railroad com
panies- as in this bill authorized shall be
empowered to charge over the said route
| or routes thus acquired the rates of fare
Tow authorized by law to be charged
thereon by the respective companies
owning or operating the same and no
| more, were the roads operating thereun-
der consolidated that the questions of
fares and transfer arrangements would
be any differently affected from this but
| that their regulation would still be at
| the option of the railroad management -
Capt. H C. Newcomer, Assistant Engi-
| neer Commissioner, inforwarding the re-
| port of Mr. Bradshaw 10 his chief. recon-
mended that MIR. Morrison be informed
| that the proposed rates of fare TO be charg-
ed between Takoma Park and the corner
OF Fifteenth Street and New York Avenue
northwest are authorized by the act of
February &c, 1895, provided that the
Brightwood Railway Company and the
| Georgetown and TennalIytown Railway
Company be, and they are hereby, respec-
lively, authorized and required to sell four
coupon tickets for 25e good for one con-
tinuous ride in the District Of Columbia
over the lines of said companies and the
| lines of the Metropolitan Railway Com
| pany. Moreover if these railways should
| become consolidated under the title of the
Washington Traction and Electric Com
pany there would still exist the right TO
demand this fare as the act authorizing
| the consolidation provides that the con-
solidated company shall be empowered to
charge over said route or routes thus ac-
CURED the rates of fare now authorized
by law to be charged thereon by the re-
spective companies owning or operating
the same and no more"
The Engineer Commissioner in trans
hitting the papers to his associates rec
ommends this morning that the question be
referred to the Attorney for the District
for an opinion on the subject, which rec
ommendation was approved by the other
Commissioners.