Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-26
THE BILL GOES OVER
Hearing on Old Dominion
Charter.
GEN. HARRIES' SPEECH
WHY HE OPPOSES coMPANY's
ENTRANCE INTO CITY.
Others in Opposition Heard as Well as
Mr.. Boteler in Advocacy
Of the Company.

Of the Company.
The third Of the series of hearings grant
ed by the District of Columbia committee
of the House of Representatives on the
bill authorizing the Great Falls and Old
Dominion Railway Company to enter the
District and build cross-town road
through M street was begun shortly after
10 o'clock this morning. Chairman Bah
cock stated that because of the approach
of the day for adjournment the hearing this
morning would probably be the last. The
principal speech of the morning was made
by Gen. George H. Harries, vice president
of the Washington Railway and Electric
Company.
When the hearing began Representative
Rixey of Virginia appeared before the COM
mittee and presented a petition from
number Of his constituents In Fairfax
county, Va, asking favorable consideration
of the bill and praying for liberal transfer
Mr.. E. w. Slater addressed the committee
briefly in opposition to the bill, arguing that
such valuable franchise as that sought
by the new company should not be granted
without compensation. He declared that
plenty of capitalists would be glad to pay
for 1t.
Theodore J. King who stated that he cir
culated the petition In favor or the cross
town road, declared 1t was the bona-hde
wish of the people on M street that the
road should be built.
Mr.. Frank w. Hackett, who spoke at
some length at the hearing last Thursday,
was permitted to conclude his argument in
opposition to a cross-town line on M street
or any other east or west thorough1are IN
that vicinity. Mr.. Hackett thought the
line would be of greater service farther
north.
Gen. Harries' Objections.
Gen. Harries next addressed the commit
tee He said the advocates of the new line
had argued for it on the ground OF OBVIOUS
necessity" The doctrine of obvious ne
cessity," he declared, was the cry or the
highwayman. The courts OF the country
have been standing forever between prop
erty rights and the fellows who believe IN
..Obyious necessity" The tramp on the
street could say 1t was obviously necessary
that he should have the money in another
mans pocket. IL was an anarcnistic pri a.
ciple, Gen. Harries declared, and 1t was
on this basis that the Great Falls and Old
Dominion Company seeks to enter Wash
ington.
The new company seeks to use the lines
of established companies for its own profit
The long haul would always be on the
old companies In any transfer arrange
ment that could be devised. The old lines
nave Deen DULL up tuIOuSI tiipuio-
ton, Gen. Harries declared. and now
new corporation desires to come into the
city, use the old lines wherever they please
and parallel the tracks at will.
ut means to the company l represent,
continued Gen. Harries, twelve additional
transfer points. 1t means that instead of
receiving four and one-sixth cents per pas
senger, we would receive but two and one
twelfth cents. Through our own transfer
arrangements the fare, per passenger car
ried, is reduced to a fraction below three
cents. To reduce this still further by re-
quiring the issuance of transfers to other
companies would mean depreciation IN
the service"
Gen Harries told of the transfer arrange
ments in other cities saying the gen.
eral custom is to charge cents for each
transfer In Philadelphia cents is charged
in every case. Only in the city of New
York is the construction on the under
ground system, as required in Washing
ton The trolley road is built at about
half the cost of the underground system.
The fares in other cities are cents straight
whereas in Washington it is but 1-6 cents.
Gen. Harries did not think any further
burden should be put upon the street rail-
roads operating in Washington.
Chairman Babcock asked If Gen. Harries
knew how much the Philadelhia companies
were paying
He said he did not know, but he under
stood that 1t was only lately the roads
had been paying at all They had been
suffering from condition proposed by the
new company here-that of paralleling
lines, He admitted that this condition had
tended to consolidation, but it did not seem
the people had derived any benefit from the
transaction.
About Consolidation.
Gen. Harries said he thought consolida-
ton would be benefit in Washington, for
here Congress has complete control of all
the charters and can regulate the compan-
les in any way it desires. He was asked
If his company or the Capital Traction
would be willing to construct any extern
sion Congress might deem necessity. The
companies would do so unQueStionably he
replied.
would your company build the line
across M street If the opportunity were
offered?" asked Representative Sims.
mo, sir" replied Gen. Harries. I'VE
would build the line If required to do SO,
but not otherwise, for we do not believe 1t
would be a paying investment. The de-
mand for a crosstown line Is north OF M
street
Gen. Harries made the interesting state
ment that his company is completing ar
rangements for coach or automoplle
line on street east OF dupont Circle, 10
lexington. This coach line would transfer
to all the electric roads controlled by the
Washington Railway and Electric Com.
pany and would meet the demands OF
cross-toWn travel. AS an experiment and
in order to test the alleged demand for
north and south line on Capitol Hill. Gen.
Harries said his company was also ar
ranging for coach line on one OF the
thoroughfares on the HILL with liberal
transfer arrangements The coaches are
being built.
Gen. Harries was asked if his company
opposed the construction Of line on M
street by the Capital Traction Company.
He said it did not, for it believed it would
simply mean an addition of useless and
Improbable mileage.
The new corporation, Gen. Harries de-
cla rad in East Washington
parallel the existing lines of his company.
This would mean a division of business
and consequently decreased receipts De-
creased receipts mean that the service
must suffer Gen. Harries said he opposed
the new corporation on the ground that
there is no necessity for it nor public
demand for the things it proposes to do
Instead of allowing new and Independent
company to come In, he thought the best
results would follow a consolidation of the
two companies now operating In the Dis
trict of Columbia. He belived 1t to be the
purpose of the new company to ultimately
control the street railroads of Washington.
But you say you are an advocate of
suggested Representative
CT, Oh