Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-07

Cfiarter instead of having straight five
cent fare alone $4,000 is saved to the
public.
Mr.. Dunlop said that one real trouble with
people in the suburbs is that they expect to
buy land there at cheap prices and then 10
have the railroad companies develop 1t by
giving them a service in excess of the traf-
flc that is to be accommodated. He said
that on the Chevy Chase line they have no
less than a fifteen-minute schedule IN the
winter and seven and one-half minutes
during the busy times of the day, and
seven and one-half minute schedule during
the spring. summer and fall. During the
spring and summer they have a three
minute service in the busy times of the
day.
Vice President Harries Heard.
Vice President Harries then took up the
bill and went over 1t paragraph by para
graph. He did not understand why limit
OF weight of ten tons had been fixed for
cars In other cities the weight of cars Is
In excess of ten tons. Their cars on the q
street line weigh 30 900 pounds. or sixteen
tons. and the large cars that stop at the
Capitol weigh 1900 pounds. He thought
that the Commissioners already have as
much work as they can do without under
taking to run the street railroads III the
Commissioners should fix a schedule today
they would have to change it tomorrow
The change of the traffic necessities on his
lines of road were so great that they were
constantly being made.
He read from a report of citizens usSO-
G3ation of Brightwood avenue OF 1888 In re-
lAtion to the condition of that railroad IN
its earlier years. This showed that me
cars were then old, rickety and dirty ana
sat times unfit for ladies and gentlemen
to ride in
The traffic was suspended during snow
storms because snow plows were not sent
out for twenty-four to sixty hours after the
storm. Passengers were required often 10
get out and readjust the cars on the track
or stand in the mud and slush until it was
done. This. he said, was an indication or
what his company had to contend with 1t
had purchased a large number of separate
roads that were not paying. ana had to re-
construct them at large expense HE
showed that time and again this railroad
company had expended large sums of
money in improving it. but during all these
years it had never paid dollar of profit
Reduction of Faro.
In 1899 the Washington Railway and
Electric Company acquired the stock OF
that company, and the fare was reduced
to six tickets for a quarter instead of four
tickets for quarter. That was not sound
financial policy, but the directors desired to
continue it as long as it could be done
without too great burden on the owners
of the property From July 81. 1899. to De-
cember 81. 1903, they paid for new con-
struction on the Brightwood $1O,312. Dur
ing that period the cost of operation and in
terest charges exceeded the receipts by
sl349S7.
Vice President Harries said that for SOW
eral years this company must meet
deficit in the operation of the Brfghtwood
road and this loss is charged off in it's
statements to the holders of the Washing
ton Railway and Electric Company's Sc
curities.
He said that the only way in which this
loss could be reduced except through in
creasing travel. would be to return to the
right to charge % cents for four tickets.
They preferred to continue the present plan
IL the earnings of the road show, as he
believed they would, decrease in the
deficit
Regards Project as Impracticable.
He claimed that giving the Commission
ers the right to regulate the roads. as the
pending bill proposed, would give to them
the right to conduct the business. He re-
garded it as an utterly impracticable prop
osition to turn over these properties to the
Commissioners. the bill proposed
You cannot have municipal control with
out municipal ownership" he said.
His road has tried to meet the necessities
OF traftc as far as possible, he said, but
the difficulties that had arisen from taking
In eleven companies running to the suburbs
that had never paid a cent on the invest
ment to anybody had been very great Out
or these roads that had always been I'M
profitable they were trying to form a sys-
tenn. They were kept very busy in conduct
Ing the roads themselves with large num-
Der of skilled employees, and he did not
know how the Commissioners could do the
work with a single inspector. as provided
In the bill They had dozens of inspectors
10 DO what that one inspector was supposed
to do.
He said that In Philadelphia a scent fare
was charged and transfers cost 3 cents
In addition to that they used the cheaper
overhead trolley system
TO show the immense amount of work
the Commissioners would have he said
tran Sfo
twenty-seven waiting stations on the sys-
tenn he represents.
He said that the case of the Massachu-
setts law cited by which the board of al
dermen of Boston obtained control did NOT
bear on this case, because the board of
aldermen had originally granted the char
ter for the railroads.
Mr.. TruesdelPs Statement.
Mr. Geo. Truesdel. a director and stock
holder In the Washington Railway and E,lec-
trio Company. stated that he was preatlv
interested in having a good railroad serv-
Ice at lexington: In fact he had a larger
in'eIes' IN such a service than in the stock
VI tne railroad company that he owned
but ne was satisfied that the bill as drawn
was ihpractlcable of execution and that
Ihe roads We're doing as well as they could
lie SAID that II Congress should mass a law
requiring them to do more he did not krou,
now such a law could be executed in viaw
OF the fact that so MANY of them are moi
could
where the money could come from There
would De no way 10 get the money excent
that II would be contributed by holders Of
the stock -'' VI
de said he knew that it was unpleasant
10 Fide IN crowded ears. but that was an
incident or street railroad travel every
where II Congress should pass law that
every passenger should be given a seal II
would SO vastly Increase the expense of
operation that he could not see what the
result would be- 'i'~
de referred to the formation of many
railroad companies in this city during the
rev years after 1915. In which hundreds of
thousands of dollars had been spent and NOT
cent ever received as n return For If
teen years many of these stockholders have
been without dividends The companies do
not earn them.
The hearing lasted until after L o'clock
when Senator Gallinger stated that those
who did not get an opportunity to be heard
might In brief way submit additional
data In the report of the hearing which was
taken geographically and will be printed
by the committee.
Another American Boat for the Kaiser.