Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-15
CONTROL OF CAR LINES
Favorable Report on a Compre-
hensive Measure.
SUBC0MMITTEE'S ACTION
Great Extension of Powers of tho
Commissioners.
REGULATION OF RAILWAYS
Matter Will Be Taken Up by the Full
Committee Thursday-other
Bills Considered.
REGULATION OF RAILWAYS

The subcommittee on street raIlways
streets and avenues of the House District
committee today authorized a favorable re-
port to the full committee on the bill giving
the Commissioners authority to regulate
the operation of street railways In the Dis
trict. The bill was introduced December
4, 1905, and has slumbered peacefully I'D
to the present time. Its report today was
very much of a surprise, particularly as
Mr.. Madden of Illinois recently declared his
intention of pushing the bill he introduced
which also has as its object the regulation
Of the street railways in the District
Representative Babcock of Wisconsin,
chairman Of the House District committee,
is also chairman of the subcommittee on
street railways, streets an. avenues. The
other members are Representatives samuel
w. Smith of Michigan, Allen of Maine.
Wiley of New Jersey, Greene of Massa-
chusctts, Simms Of Tennessee and Meyer OF
Louisiana.
The measure provides that after six
months from it's passage and approval
1T shall be unlawful FOR any street rail-
way company in the District to operate
upon any portion OF Its land within the
city of Washington any car of greater
weight than ten tons.
THAT cars weighing more than ten
tons may be operated upon such streets
and avenues in the city as the Commits
sioners may approve, but only on special
permit, which shall prescribe the weight
of such cars, the rate of speed at which
they shall operate, and any other condi-
lions necessary. and to contain
special provision for any violation Of
any terms of the permit it shall be re-
voked.
Hereafter no cars purcha sed after the
approval of this act shall be operated in
the District without the approval of the
Commissioners.
- - Thirty days after the pass
age of this act all companies shall SUBJ
NIT to the Commissioners a time sched-
ule of the running Of its cars, of the
routes and destinations. and of all trans
fer arrangements on all lines and branch
es in the District a
THE Commissioners shall approve such
schedule route destinations and transfer ar
rangements, having. however. fun power
first to make such alterations as they may
consider necessary, and 1t shall be unlawful
for any one Of the companies to operate its
cars upon another schedule or route or TO
any other destination or upon any other
transfer arrangement than that approved
by the Commissioners.
The measure further provides that ali cars
must be kept clean and In good repair.
reason of a flattened wheel any other
cause makes any unnecessary noise.
Waiting Rooms Required.
rect the railway companies to provide prop
erly lighted and heated waiting rooms at all
transfer points, the cost of maintenance to
be borne by the companies whose lines in
tersect at these points. All questions re-
lating to the cost and maintenance of these
rooms in the event of the railway companies
being unable to agree shall be determined
by the Supreme Court of the District.
The measure makes it compulsory on the
railway companies to put emergency brakes
on all cars operating over road which
for more than / 800 feet of its length has
a grade greater than per cent.
The bill repeats section five of the act OF
February -. 1880. which authorized the
Brightwood Railway Company and the
Georgetown and Tenleytown Railway Com
pany to sell four coupon tickets for %
cents for a continuous trip over either OF
those roads but it is specifically provided
that nothing in this section shall be con.
strued to repeal section three of the act OF
July Z 1898. requiring the Brightwood COM
pany to abandon its overhead trolleys on
kenyon street between 9Th ana 1zth streets,
and portions of the act of February rs,
1895, are retained in order to provide PEN
altes.
1t is provided further that 1t shall be I'M
lawful Ito charge more than the present
legal fare for one car ride for single TRIP
in either direction within the District or
Columbia between any point on the Bright
wood railway or on the Georgetown and
Tenleytown railway and any point on the
line OF the Washing 'ti''.
way Company.
Must Run to Business Section.
Section of the bill provides that every
suburban railroad Of the District whose
tracks now intersect of connect with or
hereafter may be made to connect or inter-
sect with tracks of any of the urban street
railroads in the District is required to run
cars over the track of the urban street
railroad into the business section of the
CITY And each urban railroad is required to
permit the suburban street railroad to run
cars over it's lines. The Supreme Court of
the District is to settle any matters in this
connection that the railroads cannot agree
upon. This section is made to apply. more
over, in all cases, whether the ownership or
control of any suburban railroad is vested
in the same company owning the intersect-
ing or connecting urban railroad or diff
ferent company.
For any violations Of the provision of this
act 1t is provided that the railway company
so violating and the president. the vice
president and each of the directors of the
railway company shall be Jointly and sew
orally liable to a fine of not less than $40
nor more than 500 for each violation 1t is
made the duty CT the Commissioners to in
stitute proceedings when necessary.
AS will be seen. this bill gives the COM
mssioners practically complete control, SO
far as the operation of cars is concerned,
of the street railway systems of the Is
trict 1t is the belief Of several lawyers in
the House that under this bill the Com
missioners could. II they so wished force
the companies to provide universal trans
fers and thus make unnecessary the pas
sage of the Madden bill
At the regular weekly meeting of the
House District committee Thursday this
bill will be taken up, and 1t has
the Endorsement of the subcommittee on
street railways. streets and avenues. IL will
probably receive the favorable report of the
full District committee and come up on the
next District day two weeks from yester-
day.
Other Bills Considered.
The subcommittee this morning also acted
fayorably on the bill to widen Mills ave-
nue. to fifty feet from Rhode Island avenue
to oath street. A private road twenty-five
feet wide and in very bad shape for travel
now connects these points. B. w. Holamn
and other officers of the LanRdon Citizens