Evening star., 1905-02-24
WITHHoLD APPROVAL
REPORT ON RAILWAY COMPANY'S
W T1SC
BILE,FoEAUTo LINE.
Commissioners Favor Such an Enter
y .eiY
prise, butt Provisions Of Pending
s.
Measure Not Satisfactory.


Company to operate automobile lines within
the District, the Commissioners today state
that while they would be in favor Of an
automobile line on certain specified routes
in the city, they do not recommend favor
able action on the bill in its present form.
The Commissioners state that they were
informed by the company that the object OF
the bill is to permit the company to put In
operation automobile lines where they will
serve as feeders to the street railroad lines
OF their system; that their immediate pur-
pose Is to operate cross-town line from
the vicinity of New York avenue andP street
northeast. along street to Dupont circle.
returning by the same route. and the opera
t1on also Sof a line from 18th and G streets
southeast. up 11th street and Maryland ave-
nue. to the vicinity of 18th and H streets
northeast, returning by the same route; that
no other route has yet been definitely out
lined, but as others may from time to time
develop the company will organize and de-
Velop them. A copy of letter from the
company to the Commissioners is inclosed.
The bill Is Objectionable in that it does
not state any specified route for the auto
mobile lines, butts in the nature of a gen
eral franchise" the Commissioners state.
THE third section of the bill authorizes
the vehicles to be operated at an average
speed not In excess of fifteen miles per
hour iNthe city and eighteen miles an hour
In the District of Columbia outside of the
city. 1t also provides that the limitations
of this section shall also apply to street
cars operated within the District of Co
lumbia. The Commissioners believe this
section is Objectionable because of the high
speed it authorizes. The specified speeds
could undoubtedly be exceeded under the
excuse that the average speed only Is linn
tied by the section. The Commissioners
believe that only the rate of speed author
lied by the police regulations of the Dis
trict of Columbia should be permitted. The
second provso applying the speed to street
railways Is also very Objectionable. This
matter also should be regulated by the
general police regulations.
Provisions Of Section Four.
Section of the bill provides that the
company shall pay, in lieu Of all other
taxes. sum equivalent to 1 per centum of
it's gross passenger earnings from the op-
GRAFTON of it's auto-vehicles along regular
and clearly defined routes. 1t also pro-
vides that this provision shall have gen.
eral application to other horse-drawn or
auto-vehicles for the transportation Of pas
sengerS along regular and clearly defined
routes AS to this section, the Commits
sioners would state that the license law or
the District of Columbia approved July 1,
1903. makes the following provisions:
THAT persons, firms or corporations oper
ating vehicles for hire or for the transpor-
tation of passengers in the District of Co
lumbia with sufficient regularity to enable
the public to take passage therein at any
point intermediate ITO the stable or stand
of such vehicle, or operate such vehicle
over a route sufficiently definite to enable
the public to ASCERTAIN the streets and
avenues on which such vehicle can be found
en- route. shall pay license taxes as follows:
For each vehicle with seating capacity
not to exceed ten passengers, ST per an
mum; for each vehicle with a seating capac-
ity exceeding ten passengers S12 per an
mum. No license Shall be issued under the
terms of this paragraph without the ap-
proval of the Commissioners of the District
of Columbia. ST.
Paragraph. ), section g. of the act of
July /. 1902, in part, provides:
That street railroad companies shall con-
mum on their gross receipts and other taxes
as provided by existing law. To prevent
any misinterpretation of the law which
would tend to evade the imposition of this
per centum tax on, the gross earnings, it
was found necessary to amend the last
quoted provision, and the act of April %,
1904, in referring to the act of July /, 1902,
in section 2, in part provides: That that
part of the proyiso in paragraph 3, section
q. relating to street railroads shall be con-
strued to mean that all street railroads
shall pay four per centum per annum on
their gross receipts within the District of
Columbia, and other taxes as provided by
existing law.
1T will be observed that all street rail-
road companies are required to pay, in lieu
of personal taxes, 4 per cent on their
gross earnings, and also ~ per cent on
the assessed valuation of their real es
tate; and that companies operating auto
mobiles or other vehicles over a specified
route, are required to pay a license fee for
each vehicle of $500 or $1200 per annum,
according to the seating capacity of such
vehicles.